


Give It Up

by Sun_Moon_Stars_Jedi



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Hood/Arsenal (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Coercion, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Past Drug Addiction, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kidnapping, M/M, Non-Consensual Kissing, Non-Consensual Touching, Rape Aftermath, Roman Sionis is a creep, nothing explicit though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:48:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25033465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sun_Moon_Stars_Jedi/pseuds/Sun_Moon_Stars_Jedi
Summary: Dick can't see a way out of this and Jason will have to pay the price.
Relationships: Roman Sionis/Jason Todd, Roy Harper/Jason Todd
Comments: 84
Kudos: 307





	1. Chapter 1

Dick can’t see a way out of this. His eyes are roving around the room, cataloguing every thug surrounding them, every weapon pointing at them, every closed off exit and he can’t see a way out of this for him and Jason.

The odds are stacked heavily against them, they are outnumbered 20 to 1 and are both already exhausted. Neither of them is seriously injured yet, but with the way their limbs are getting heavier, their dodges narrower, he knows that won’t stay true for long. To top it off their comms are fried and they are both weaponless, Hood’s guns long since out of (rubber)bullets and his own escrima lost earlier in the fight. Same for all kinds of Batarangs or other throwable weapons they had.

Dick chances a look at Jason, who is still trying to stand strong against the relentless assault of three men the same size as him, and he knows they can’t prolong this any further. Just as he has this thought, his own opponents make use of his momentary distraction and manage to take him down, hard.

He lets out a pained shout when he hits the floor, feels his arms immediately being restrained behind his back as he hears his brother’s modulated voice call out “Nightwing!”

He is held so firmly against the floor he can only barely turn his head towards Jason and manages it just in time to see the moment his brother’s opponents overwhelm him as well, bringing him down just like Dick. Once Jason is also restrained, Dick feels hands grip his shoulders and he is pulled up to his knees and placed next to Jason, who is now in the same position. A pair of hands stays on each of their shoulders, but the rest of the thugs retreat, settling into a circle around them.

“Well,” says a familiar voice out of the darkness, footsteps slowly drawing closer. “That was easier than I had expected. Maybe I shouldn’t have gone through all that trouble if you give up so easily.”

The owner of the voice steps into the circle right in front of them and Dick just glares at Black Mask. He can hear Jason growling lowly next to him, but he seems to be holding his tongue for now.

Black Mask steps closer, coming to a stop just out of arms reach from them and looks them over. Dick notices how his gaze stays far longer on Jason than it does on him, how he is taking his time to take in his brother’s entire body and something twists in his gut.

When the silence and the eyes on Jason’s body drag on too long for Dick’s taste he demands, “What do you want, Mask?”

Dick doesn’t like the way the man doesn’t even look at him, gaze still focused solely on Jason when he says, “Oh, I already have what I want.”

“And what is that?” Jason spits, fury barely masked by his modulator.

Dick can practically hear the leer in Mask’s voice when he answers “You.”

It’s hard to tell what Jason is feeling with the Hood on, but Dick would say from his body language that he is not as surprised as Dick himself is.

“What?” Dick asks incredulously, hoping to draw the attention away from his brother. Whatever is going on here, it isn’t good. Mask completely ignores him and instead continues to stare down at Jason intently.

“I’ve told you before what I want from you, Hood.”

“And I’ve told you where to shove it,” Jason fires back, but Dick can detect the slightest hint of fear even through the voice distortion. Something is very wrong here and he needs to think of a way to get them out of this, get _Jason_ out of this.

Before he can come up with something Mask goes on, “You have and it was always very rude of you. So I have decided to teach you some manners.”

Mask reaches into his pocket then and pulls out something that looks like a photo. Dread pools in Dick’s stomach and his hands try in vain to escape their bonds as his eyes are glued to that little piece of paper in Mask’s hand.

“How about a little bit of incentive for you to behave?” Mask says sweetly and turns the photo around, showing them the picture, “Like that sweet redhead of yours and your darling daughter?”

Dick’s breath stops and he feels Jason freeze completely next to him as the photo is revealed.

‘That can’t be true’ is the only thought running through his head as he stares at Roy, bound to a chair, obviously unconscious, with Lian sitting next to him on the floor, arms pulled behind her back, tied to the chair and tears running down her cheeks.

For a few moments Dick doesn’t register anything but the muted colours of the picture and the ringing in his ears, until Jason pulls in a ragged breath next to him and begins in an unsteady voice, “If you...what have you...”

He can’t even finish a single sentence and Dick’s heart breaks for his little brother.

“I haven’t hurt them...yet,” Mask replies and his voice boasts with confidence. He knows he has already won and he wants them to know it too. “I won’t have to hurt them if you do as I say.”

Dick feels the fight go out of Jason and he knows Mask is right, he has already won, but he still has to try.

“Hood, don’t listen to him. Whatever he wants-“ He is shut up with a vicious backhand from Mask that nearly topples him to the ground, but when he rights himself the man’s attention is once more solely focused on Jason.

He can see Jason nod slowly next to him, his entire body slumping in defeat, and his own heart starts to beat faster with panic.

“Good,” Mask purrs, and at a nod from him to the thug still holding Jason’s shoulders he is let go and his hands are cut free.

“Take your helmet off!”

Mask’s voice is so eager it nearly makes Dick nauseas, but Jason just reaches up, unfastens the hidden catches and takes the Hood off.

He is still wearing a domino, but Dick can read his brother’s face despite it, has years of practice deciphering his family behind their masks, and he can make out his resignation without problem.

His brother has already accepted his fate, will do whatever is necessary to keep his husband and daughter safe, and Dick has to close his eyes for a moment to take a deep breath and push down the desperate tears this thought brings with it.

When he opens them again Mask has stretched out a hand, trailing his fingers lightly over the side of Jason’s face before tracing the edge of his domino.

“Take that off, too!” he commands and Jason complies without protest.

When his eyes are visible, Dick can see them slowly look up at Mask, the look of defeat finally replaced by one of determination.

“I will obey whatever you say-” Jason says and Dick wants to scream at him to stop, wants to shake him and drag him out of here, but he knows that he can’t, so he stays silent. “-but only if you let them go unharmed. Them and Nightwing.” Jason’s voice is steel now, hard and unbreakable, but Mask only hums in amusement, his fingers once again caressing Jason’s face.

“That was the plan,” he says, voice drunk with his victory and distracted by his exploration of Jason’s skin.

Jason nods and Dick can see the light of defiance die in his eyes, replaced by hollow acceptance and he can’t help the “No!” that comes out of his mouth. Jason turns his head slightly towards him at that, meeting his eyes even through the domino, and Dick has never seen such a hopeless expression on his brother’s face.

“It’s okay, Wing,” Jason says, but his voice is void of any emotion, sounds dead to Dick’s ears.

Dick tries to reassure Jason silently, tell him just through his expression that he won’t let this happen, that he will get Jason out of this, but Jason just blinks slowly at him before turning back to Mask. Dick has the eerie feeling that his brother just told him goodbye and something icy closes around his heart.

“I will give Nightwing their location and he can free them once we leave,” Mask says and Jason just nods again at this. Mask lets the photo of Roy and Lian flutter to the floor in front of Dick and now he can see that there is an address written on the edge.

With his now freed hand Mask grabs Jason’s arm and pulls him up to standing. He goes without resistance. Once Jason is on his feet, Mask’s hand wanders up to his neck and he pulls him in for a kiss. Jason lets him, gives Mask whatever he wants without a fight and Dick has to suppress the urge to be sick. If he had any doubts about what Mask wants from his brother, they are gone now.

He can hear the wet sounds as Mask deepens the kiss, can see him lick into Jason’s mouth, but he can’t bring himself to look away, no matter how much disgust he feels. His brother is being violated right in front of him and he can’t do anything about it. The feeling of helplessness and despair inside him is nearly overwhelming.

After an eternity Mask finally pulls back with a pleased moan and Dick can see the way Jason’s hands are trembling at his sides, where he has held them still and clenched the entire time.

“You taste even better than I imagined,” Mask purrs and the shudder of revulsion that runs through Jason is mirrored by Dick’s own body.

“Say goodbye, pet!” Mask orders and Jason turns slightly to look back at Dick.

“Hood,” Dick begins, his voice weak, but he doesn’t know what he can say to make this okay, to save his brother from what is about to happen to him.

“Just get them,” Jason says and musters a sad smile for him, “Don’t worry about me.”

With that he turns back to Mask, who takes his wrist and pulls him along towards the exit. The first tear of despair falls from Dick’s eyes the moment the door closes behind Jason’s back, but he doesn’t get the chance to compose himself, as a sharp sting registers at the back of his neck and the world turns to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you'd like to chat, here is a link to [my Tumblr](https://sun-moon-stars-jedi.tumblr.com/).


	2. Chapter 2

Dick comes to disoriented and with his mind blanketed in a heavy fog. It’s a feeling he recognizes as the aftermath of being drugged and his pulse immediately picks up at the realisation.

He tries to focus first on his body and assess whatever condition he is in. He doesn’t seem to be injured but he is stiff from lying on a cold floor for some time and his hands are bound behind his back, making his shoulders scream at holding the strained position for so long.

He listens carefully and opens his eyes when he can’t detect any indication of another human being in the vicinity. He sits up slowly, groaning as his body protests the new position and lets his hands explore his bonds, looking for a way to undo them. While his hands are busy he casts his mind back, tries to remember how he got into this situation. He vaguely recalls fighting alongside Jason, but his mind is still too sluggish to fill in the rest.

That changes when his eyes fall on the photo lying in front of him. Everything comes crashing back into his mind, the lost fight, Black Mask swaggering in, his demands, the way he had forced himself on Jason. Jason’s resigned acceptance and last words to him ghost through his mind and he feels panic begin to set in.

How long has he been out, how far away has Mask already taken Jason, what has he already _done_ to Jason? Are Roy and Lian still okay?

He can’t breathe for a second and has to force himself to calm down, closing his eyes and counting his breaths, just like Bruce taught him when he was young. This is not the time to lose it, he needs to get out, alert the others, find Roy and Lian, find _Jason_.

Now that there are no guards present his hands make quick work of the ropes binding them and once they fall to the ground he reaches for the photo, picking it up with numb fingers. He reads the address and is already stumbling his way towards the door, one hand going to his ear to activate his comm. He gets only static and spits a slew of curses before ordering himself to stay focused. He is of no help to anyone if he lets himself get lost in his emotions now so he reins it all in and concentrates on what he has to do next.

When he exits the building he looks around and is relieved to find himself not that far away from the location where Roy and Lian are supposed to be held. As his entire gear is gone he simply starts running in their direction. While he is practically flying through the deserted streets of the warehouse district he tries to reach someone on the comms multiple times. Static is still his only answer.

He makes it to the correct warehouse in mere minutes, panting hard and head pounding from the after effects of the sedative still in his system, but he throws the door open anyway, running inside without hesitation. If Mask had wanted to kill him he had his chance, he tells himself, so he doesn’t bother to check for guards or traps, just lets his desperation propel him forward. It wasn’t really Dick or Roy and Lian Mask had been interested in, they had all only been a means to an end to him. Dick prays he is right and that this means Roy and Lian are safe somewhere in this building. They have to be.

Dick rushes through the building, encountering no one, throwing open every door he finds, checking every room as fast as he can, feeling his panic return with each one that he finds empty. He has already lost Jason tonight, he can’t lose Roy and Lian too, he thinks frantically as he makes his way to the upper floor.

His legs nearly give out under him in relief when he arrives in a big open space at the top of the stairs and sees them in the middle of the room. The scene is nearly identical to the picture still clutched in his hand, except that Lian’s eyes have snapped up at his noisy arrival and she yells “Nightwing” in a voice that is as relieved as Dick just felt.

“I’m here, don’t worry, I’ll get you out,” he already reassures her as he is running towards them. The moment he is close enough he skids to a stop and drops to his knees to check her over but she immediately shakes her head.

“I’m fine, check on Daddy. I can’t wake him up.”

Dick looks the eight-year-old over regardless, but he can’t see any injuries, so he switches over to her father like she asked. He can’t see any obvious causes for his prolonged unconsciousness but when he feels for his pulse it is steady and his breathing is normal. When he looks closer he finds a puncture mark at Roy’s neck which explains why he hasn’t woken up yet but also brings up new concerns regarding what he was given, especially considering Roy’s history.

“He’ll be fine, sweetheart,” he tells Lian, trying to ease her obvious worry and hoping that he isn’t lying.

He needs to get them out of here and properly checked over, so he stands up and starts to undo Lian’s bonds first. When she is free he goes on to work on the ropes binding Roy as Lian stands up stiffly but joins him to help after a few moments.

“Why did they take us? What did they want from us?”

Lian’s voice is steady but Dick can hear the undercurrent of fear and he curses Black Mask in his head. When he finds that vile excuse for a human being he will make him regret everything he has done (is still doing) to his little brother and his family. Right now though he has to take care of Lian and get her out of here and that means keeping her calm.

“That is not important right now, sweetheart. I need you to help me get your Daddy out of here, don’t worry about anything else, alright?”

Dick knows Lian can tell that he didn’t answer her question on purpose, the little girl is too much like her fathers to miss such an obvious deflection, but she lets it go with a pointed look at Dick and focuses back on the ropes on Roy’s ankles.

By the time they get Roy free he is still unconscious and Dick’s comms are still dead so he lifts his brother-in-law over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry and takes Lian’s hand, leading her out of the warehouse.

His already exhausted body begins to protest the strain of carrying Roy when they haven’t even walked a block away from the warehouse and Dick knows he has to come up with a plan on how to get them to safety.

There are still no people on the streets to ask for help and there aren’t even any stores in this part of the city where he could contact someone so he racks his brain for whatever might be useful to them in this neighbourhood. He remembers an old phone booth a couple streets away and prays to whomever will hear him that it is still there and operational. He starts heading in that direction, keeping Lian close by his side the whole time.

When they make it to the correct street he could cry at seeing the old phone booth, vandalized and filthy, but still functional. He sets Roy carefully down next to it, his own limbs now trembling so hard he knows he won’t be able to pick him back up again, before he takes the receiver and hears the blessed tone of an open line.

Dick dials the emergency number that will connect him directly with Oracle and she picks up at the first ring. He doesn’t even let her finish the question of “Who is this?” before he is talking.

“Oracle, this is Nightwing. I need you to send a Batmobile to my location immediately. I have Roy and Lian with me and they might need medical attention.”

He can hear her suck in a surprised breath at the mention of his two companions, but that is all the reaction she allows herself as she is already typing, presumably to find out where he is calling from.

“I’ve sent one of the cars stationed in the city to you on autopilot. It should arrive in 5 minutes. Everyone is already back at the Cave, do you need me to send someone?”

It is later than he thought if patrol is already over. The confrontation with Mask’s men had begun pretty early in the evening, which means it has already been hours since Jason was forced to leave with him. Dick has to close his eyes at the thought, knows that with every passing minute Jason could be taken farther away from them, making a rescue before Mask uses him in the way he intends to less likely.

“No. They can’t help here.” Before he can go on to explain the situation Barbara asks the question he dreads.

“Nightwing, where is Hood?”

She knows they were patrolling together and the fact that Roy and Lian are with him but not Jason is a big red flag. If her voice wasn’t computerized Dick is sure he would hear dread there too.

“Black Mask has him,” he manages to get out, voice quiet in the hope that Lian won’t hear where she is crouched next to Roy.

Dick gives Barbara the location where he last saw Jason and his best estimation when that was and she immediately starts to search for anything that might help them to find him.

“His comm and tracker are both offline,” she says, which surprises Dick not in the least.

His hope of her finding footage to trace Jason and Sionis is slim. Mask had set this all up with the deliberate intention of forcing Jason to leave with him and Dick is sure he has put measures into place beforehand to prevent them from being followed easily. But they still have to try. Dick won’t rest until he gets Jason back. He wasn’t able to help him today but he will not fail his little brother again.

Dick just sighs in answer to Barbara’s words which tells her enough about his hope for her search, but she doesn’t say anything. A faint rumble becomes audible from a few streets away and Dick recognizes it as the familiar sound of one of the Batmobiles, so he wishes Barbara good luck and hangs up.

By the time the colossal car stops in front of them Dick has managed to heave Roy up with some help from Lian. He uses the last of his strength to maneuver him into the backseat before climbing into the vehicle himself, Lian right next to him.

The autopilot steers them towards the Manor at a press of a button and Dick busies himself with checking over Lian and Roy again. He doesn’t find anything new of course but he can’t sit still. If he does his mind will have time to conjure up images of what Sionis might be doing to Jason right now and he can’t take that.

Lian is silent the entire time which is a bad sign coming from the normally talkative little girl, but Dick doesn’t know what to say to her to make anything better at the moment. She has been traumatized by the abduction no doubt, is worried about her still unconscious father and Dick will have to tell her that her other father is gone.

He doesn’t know which will be worse, telling Lian, telling Roy or telling the rest of the family and he feels the urge to bury his head in his hands and scream bubble up inside him. But he can’t break down now, has to stay strong until they are safe, so he pulls himself together and keeps his hands busy.

When the Batmobile rolls to a stop in the Cave the backdoor opposite Dick is immediately pulled open and Bruce leans into the car. He is still in the suit but the cowl is off, meaning that Dick can clearly see the worry on his father’s face.

“What happened?” he growls, eyes checking over Lian and Roy.

Oracle will already have told him what Dick relayed earlier and he doesn’t want to explain anything else in front of Lian, so he just sends Bruce a pointed look together with a head tilt towards the little girl.

“Help me get him out,” he says instead, and Bruce doesn’t look happy that he has to wait for information, but he gently maneuvers Roy out of the car anyway and proceeds to carry his son-in-law to the medbay.

When Dick exits the Batmobile with Lian he finds the rest of the family also gathered around the car, obviously waiting for them. Alfred steps over to take Lian from him, looking more than relieved to see her unharmed. The butler takes her hand and leads her over to the medbay as well, which leaves Dick to trail after them slowly.

Tim and Damian both join him and on every other day he would tease them mercilessly for their matching serious expressions and completely in-sync reaction, but today he just feels hollow. He has two brothers at his side when it should be three and he doesn’t know what he will do if it stays that way.

Roy and Lian both get checked over, Dick standing off to the side, staring vacantly at the proceedings. Once Lian is declared perfectly fine (at least physically) and Roy is hooked up to an IV with fluids to flush out whatever anaesthetic he was given, everyone’s attention focuses back on Dick.

He knows they need to hear about what happened but he doesn’t want to put into words how is brother was sexually assaulted right in front of him while he couldn’t do anything but watch helplessly. Doesn’t want everyone else to imagine what is most likely happening to Jason right now the way he is. But he has to tell them and begins after taking in a deep breath to steady himself.

“Jay and I were following a lead and got surrounded in a warehouse. There were too many of them and they managed to subdue us.” He can’t look at anyone, his voice filled with shame retelling their defeat. He should have realised it was a trap, should have fought harder, should have gotten Jason out before it was too late. Not that that would have changed anything with Roy and Lian already kidnapped, but still, he will blame himself for not preventing this somehow for the rest of his life.

“Black Mask was behind the ambush,” he goes on in a monotone voice, trying to distance himself from the events he is recounting. “He came in to gloat and then...then he showed us a picture of Roy and Lian. Told us he would let them go in exchange for Jason.”

“And Jason agreed,” Bruce says darkly, the mix of fear and pride for his son making his voice uncharacteristically unsteady.

Dick only nods. He can see the scared expression on Lian’s face and all he wants to do is turn the clock back and prevent this little girl from ever having to go through this. She deserves both of her fathers and right now she has neither.

“What would Mask want with Jason?” Tim asks and Dick has to close his eyes. “He wasn’t working on a case against him as far as I know.”

Dick is silent and he knows all eyes are on him.

“Dick, did Mask say why he took him?” Bruce’s voice is strained, trying to stay calm and detached, but he can never fully manage that when one of his children is in danger.

Instead of answering the question Dick opens his eyes and looks at Damian.

“Dami, could you take Lian up to her room? She had a long day and it’s late, she should get some rest.” He tries to make his voice light but he knows his words just sound empty.

Damian only looks at him with a mix of indignation and anger. “I will not be kept out of this like a child, Grayson,” he snaps and it is the last straw for Dick.

“Damian, do as I say and take her upstairs!” He didn’t mean to yell at his little brother and the way Damian shrinks away from him makes Dick feel even worse, but he can’t help it. He doesn’t want Damian and Lian to know, he can’t talk about what happened in front of them. Lian is also looking at him with wide eyes, which nearly makes him cry. He just wants this to be over.

Alfred steps in when everyone else seems to have frozen, placing a gentle hand on Damian’s shoulder and offering Lian the other to get down from the medical cot.

“How about some hot chocolate before bed?” he asks and both of them reluctantly leave the Cave with him.

“Dick,” Tim says and there is fear now in his voice, “why did he take Jason?”

“He wants Jason,” Dick says and the frowns on Bruce and Tim’s faces make it clear that they don’t understand what he means.

“He made Jason promise to obey whatever he says. The first thing he made him do was take off his helmet and domino and then...then he kissed him.”

The word kiss does not seem accurate to describe the way Sionis had obscenely licked his way into Jason’s mouth while his brother had forced himself not to recoil, but the disgust in his voice makes his feelings clear.

Feelings shared by his father and brother who both look at him in horror.

“He wants Jason,” he repeats and now they do understand what he means.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the nice comments and kudos.  
> The first chapter was just something that popped into my head one evening, wasn't really sure anyone would like it.


	3. Chapter 3

When Roy finally wakes up and Dick has to tell him what happened, he can see Roy’s world shatter right in front of him. Telling his father and brother why Sionis had taken Jason had been agonizing, but seeing Roy react to his words is even worse.

The colour drains from Roy’s face and he has to steady himself with a hand against the wall as his legs nearly give out beneath him. Roy is staring at Dick in open horror and Dick has to look away. He can’t bear to see his old friend and brother-in-law so heartbroken and terrified.

“And Jay just went with him?”

The words are pleading, as if Roy hopes there was some secret plan of Jason’s that Dick just hasn’t told him about yet. Anything that would make their situation less bleak and hopeless.

Dick forces himself to meet Roy’s eyes when he nods.

“It was the only way to save you and Lian. He did it without hesitation.”

Roy closes his eyes at that, his hand balling into a fist and Dick is afraid he might punch the wall in anger, but instead Roy’s whole body seems to deflate right in front of him.

Neither of them speaks for a while. There are no words that can make this any better.

“It’s my fault,” Roy whispers eventually and Dick isn’t sure he is even meant to hear the words. They are drenched in guilt and self-loathing and Dick is intimately familiar with these feelings. Before he can refute the statement however Roy goes on, now speaking louder.

“I couldn’t stop them, I let them take our daughter and now Jason is suffering for it. Sionis is going to-“

Roy’s voice breaks and Dick finally finds the will to move, steps forward and takes Roy into his arms. He doesn’t know which one of them takes more comfort from the embrace, but when they part Roy seems calmer and Dick also feels like he can talk without the danger of instantly bursting into tears or begging Roy for forgiveness.

“It was not your fault,” Dick says, voice firm and eyes steadily meeting Roy’s.

“It wasn’t yours either,” he replies with a sad little twist of his lips. He knows Dick well enough to realize he blames himself too, of course. Knows that those words will not lessen his feelings of guilt, just like Dick’s words won’t lessen Roy’s. They will both blame themselves, whether it is justified or not, and Dick finds a strange sense of camaraderie in that. He still manages a weak smile in answer.

“We will get him back,” Dick tells Roy, and he isn’t sure who he is trying to convince, but it seems to spur something on in Roy. 

Roy nods, straightening up and a look of fierce determination comes over his face. They both turn towards the main part of the Cave where Bruce and Tim are both working on the computer. Neither so much as looks up when they come close.

Tim waves a distracted hand in their direction and Bruce acknowledges them with a grunt but their attention stays glued to the monitors. Dick can’t blame them, time is of the essence right now.

“Have you found something?” Roy asks, all traces of his earlier breakdown gone.

Dick knows immediately that they don’t have good news for them when neither Bruce nor Tim answer. Eventually Tim drags his eyes from his monitors for a few seconds to give them both a look filled with frustration and anxiety.

“There’s nothing. No footage of them leaving the warehouse or of Black Mask and his people anywhere near their known hideouts. Jason’s trackers and comm must have been destroyed, neither Oracle nor us can access them.” Tim’s face pulls into a grimace before he says, voice apologetic, “I don’t know where they took him.”

Dick can see Roy’s shoulders slump next to him and he can feel his own meagre hopes diminish. This might not be a regular case of kidnapping, but the same rules apply. The first hours are crucial, if they can’t find a trace of Jason soon, he will be taken further and further away from them, possibly out of their reach.

Bruce stands up abruptly, pushing the chair a few feet away from the desk with the violence of his movement and stalks in the direction of the Batmobile, pulling the cowl up as he goes.

Dick exchanges a short glance with his brother and Roy and they all hurry after him.

“B,” Dick calls and Bruce stops with his hand on the door of the Batmobile.

“I’m going out,” his father answers, already using the Batman growl. “Someone has to know something, and I will find them.”

Dick had of course guessed this would be his father’s next course of action and he can’t say that he disagrees.

“Tim, keep looking for any digital trace you can find,” Batman orders and Tim retreats back to the computer with a nod.

“I’m coming with you,” Dick says. He is still wearing his uniform, only needs to retrieve his escrima and put on his domino again.

“Me too,” Roy says, turning to the locker rooms but Bruce stops him with a hand on his shoulder.

“No, you are staying here.” Bruce’s voice is not unkind, but it is still clearly an order.

Roy whirls on him immediately, instantly furious. “You will not keep me out of this! Jason is my husband, I’m not sitting idly by while some fucking psycho does to him whatever he wants.”

“Roy,” Bruce cuts him off harshly, and Dick can tell that he is holding onto his temper by a thread. They are all stressed and anxious, but in-fighting will not help Jason. Dick prepares himself to step between them, deescalate the situation if necessary, but Bruce takes a deep breath and goes on much calmer. “Roy, please, stay here. You have only just woken up from hours of sedation, you shouldn’t go out into the field. Jason would never forgive me if I let something happen to you.”

Roy opens his mouth as if he wants to argue but Bruce doesn’t let him.

“Your daughter is waiting upstairs, one of her fathers should be there when she wakes up.”

Roy closes his eyes and Dick can tell that Bruce has won this argument. When his brother-in-law looks at Bruce again there is a desperation in his expression that Dick has never seen before.

“You will contact me the moment you find anything, do you understand?”

Bruce nods solemnly and turns to get into the Batmobile. Dick follows suit and they speed out of the Cave, leaving Roy standing alone, looking absolutely lost.

They return hours later with bruised knuckles and nothing else. Every higher ranking member of Black Mask’s organisation has gone to ground and the lower level members they managed to interrogate didn’t know anything. And Dick is sure they were telling the truth.

The pure menace Batman had exuded on this day was enough to leave most of them in quivering puddles. The ones that hadn’t been immediately cowed were treated to punches that were more brutal than Batman usually used on simple thugs and Dick had been able to read his father’s desperation in every vicious blow. They had reminded him eerily of the time after Jason’s death, when Bruce had been lost in grief and beyond ruthless and he had to shut that avenue of thought down. They were getting Jason back this time, they wouldn’t lose him again.

Still, when they are back in the Cave Dick can’t help the unbidden tears that spring to his eyes when he looks to Tim and only receives a dejected headshake in answer. 

Batman orders him to get some rest while he himself only takes off the cowl and goes back to work. Dick knows he won’t be able to sleep, he is too worried for that, but he still changes and goes upstairs to at least eat something. It is the middle of the day now, he needs to wait till the evening to go out as Nightwing again anyway and hopefully then he will find new leads. That is the only reason why he leaves the Cave without protest.

In the kitchen he finds Alfred, who greets him with tired eyes. The butler seems weighed down with worry, looking his actual age for once instead of his usual timeless appearance. He doesn’t ask Dick if he has any news and Dick is absurdly grateful that he doesn’t have to disappoint someone else today.

He sits down at the kitchen counter and rests his head in his hands for a few minutes. He can’t allow himself to wallow in self-pity, he isn’t the one suffering for his incompetence yesterday, but now that he doesn’t have anything else to focus on he can’t stop his thoughts from turning against him. The last look Jason had given him, filled with resignation and so unlike his combative little brother, keeps appearing in front of his eyes.

He knows it is foolish, but he hopes that Jason loses that resignation once he is sure that Roy and Lian are safe. His brother is resourceful, if there is even the slightest opportunity for escape he will find it. Dick is however also convinced that Sionis is aware that Jason won’t stay docile forever. The whole mess yesterday proved that he knew them, knew Jason, too well for that. He had planned everything meticulously, from the abduction of Roy and Lian down to the removal of any evidence they might use to track him. It is only logical that he has prepared other measures to control Jason once he had him. Dick is imagining increasingly more horrific ways Sionis might do that when a hand on his shoulder pulls him out of his thoughts. 

“You need to eat something, Master Richard,” Alfred tells him and Dick is halfway to an excuse, his stomach turning at the mere suggestion of food after the images still dancing through his head, but the butler only gives him a reproachful look.

“Neglecting your own health does not help anyone. I’ve prepared lunch for Master Roy and Little Miss Lian and you will join them. And go get your brothers too. I won’t let all of you follow in your father’s unhealthy footsteps.”

Dick doesn’t have the heart to argue with Alfred so he obliges and gets Damian from his room and drags a reluctant Tim up from the Cave. Any attempt to move Bruce from the computer would be futile, even Alfred knew that, so in the end his place at the head of the table sits empty while the rest of them take their seats. There is another glaring hole between Tim and Lian across from Dick and he quickly averts his eyes from Jason’s customary place at the table.

Alfred sits with them which is usually a huge accomplishment but on this day only speaks to the bleakness of their situation. There is little conversation and everyone picks more at their food than actually eat it. Dick tries to talk about something else with Lian, take at least her mind off of everything, but his niece answers only in monosyllabic phrases, so he gives up quickly. It seems he can’t accomplish anything today and he slumps further down in his chair, feeling the heavy weight of uselessness increase in the pit of his stomach.

When the meal is finally over Tim vanishes down to the Cave again and Roy coaxes Lian into the living room, trying to find something to distract her. Dick helps Alfred clear the table just to have something to do and then stands in the kitchen, looking aimlessly for another task, anything to be useful.

Small hands grab his sleeve, tugging him towards the hallway and once they are out of Alfred’s earshot Damian speaks up, voice imperious, but Dick can easily hear the trace of fear hidden underneath.

“I demand to know what is going on! Why did Black Mask take Todd?”

“Dami-“ Dick starts, and even to his own ears he sounds exhausted. He lays a placating hand on Damian’s shoulder but his little brother shrugs him off.

“Do not treat me like a child,” he growls in a tone that tries to imitate their father but only proves he still is a child. “I understand why Lian has not been informed of everything, but I am Robin. You have no right to keep this from me.”

Under any other circumstances the clear worry in Damian’s voice would fill Dick with pride in the massive change his little brother had undergone since coming to the Manor, developing from the aloof, violent boy, who wouldn’t even acknowledge Jason or Tim as family, into the empathetic teenager standing before him. Now it is only another aspect of this whole situation that makes his heart even heavier.

“Please trust me, Dami. There are some things you don’t need to know. Some things Jason wouldn’t want you to know.”

His little brother seems surprised by his words for a split second before his brow furrows in thought. Dick realizes too late that his words might have given away too much, especially in front of a teenager who was trained to figure out secrets from a very young age and is already too familiar with the darker side of humanity. He can pinpoint the moment Damian makes the connection, his expression rapidly changing first to shock, then disgust and finally settling on rage.

“I will kill that vile piece of excrement,” he spits, his whole body going tense.

“Dami, you can’t-“

“Are you going to tell me he doesn’t deserve it, Grayson?”

Dick knows what he should say to Damian, but he can’t bring himself to form the words. Because, if he is honest with himself, he feels the same way. If they can’t find Jason before Sionis does whatever he wants with him, Dick isn’t sure what he himself will do to the gang boss if he gets the chance.

“Our main focus is finding Jason,” he tells Damian instead, because that is something they can all agree on.

Damian nods, but his body is still coiled tight, promising violence, and Dick knows he now has to keep an eye on him, too. Batman’s code might be debatable, but he doesn’t want Damian to get more blood on his hands than he already has. He failed one little brother already, he will not fail a second one.

He at least manages to convince Damian that they can’t help in the Cave at the moment, assuring him that he can go out with them tonight as Robin to look for Jason, and so they join Roy and Lian in the living room. After a pointed look from Dick Damian goes to sit next to his niece on the couch, trying to engage her in conversation, which leaves Dick to look after Roy.

He stands next to him, following Roy’s gaze out of the window, waiting a few moments for him to acknowledge Dick’s presence. When there is no reaction he lets his shoulder rest lightly against Roy’s.

“We have to find him,” Roy says and he sounds far away. “I don’t know what I would do without him.”

It sounds like a confession and Dick prays they will never have to find the answer.

“We will,” he says, sounding more confident than he feels, bumping his shoulder against Roy’s. “We will tear this city apart if we have to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of an interlude chapter, the story will move forward in the next one.  
> Thank you so much for all the comments and kudos :)


	4. Chapter 4

True to Dick’s promise they tear through the city. They interrogate every lowlife they can find, whether they have a connection to Black Mask or not, search every hideout they can think of, sift through days’ worth of surveillance footage - and still they find nothing. No trace, no clue, not even a whisper about where Jason was taken.

Gotham’s underbelly knows the Bats are on the warpath and everyone with half a brain makes an effort not to antagonize them and still, the brutality they all use out in the field gets worse with every day. Dick recognizes what is happening, knows he should do something to stop this before they cross a line, but he can’t bring himself to do it. Instead he can feel the need to hurt someone grow bigger and more insistent inside himself with each day.

Dick knows they will never give up looking for Jason, but their hope of finding him dies a little more with every hour that goes by. They are all exhausted but no one is willing to rest while Jason is in the hands of a man who is no doubt doing unspeakable things to him.

Dick doesn’t even want to think about sleep because every time he closes his eyes, he can only see Jason being kissed against his will in the warehouse by Sionis, and his mind goes on to extrapolate from there, showing him Jason, being undressed by Sionis, touched by him, lying under him…

Dick doesn’t sleep, only closes his eyes when his absolute exhaustion forces him to and his body is on the brink of shutting down. He knows he won’t be able to go on like this for much longer but he doesn’t care. And he isn’t the only one.

Bruce is working relentlessly, has barely been out of the suit since Jason was taken. Had even contacted every other vigilante and hero he could think of, asked them if they had heard anything about his missing son, to inform them if they did. No one ever called back with good news.

Tim and Damian would be the same as their father and older brother if Alfred didn’t force them to take breaks and go to school and work, keep up some semblance of normalcy. They aren’t happy about it, spend every second they can helping them, and Dick knows they are just as desperate to find Jason as he is.

But the worst by far is Roy.

He and Lian are staying at the Manor for now, as their flat is obviously compromised and no one wants them to return to the place from which Black Mask’s people abducted them. Ollie and Dinah had offered to take Lian to them in Star City as she wasn’t going to school for the moment anyway, but Roy didn’t want her that far away from him.

Dick can’t help but think that maybe it would be better for Lian to be in Star City, though. Ollie and Dinah are also worried of course, but here in the Manor the little girl is constantly surrounded by people who are out of their minds with anxiety and exhaustion. They all try to shelter her from their increasingly desperate search, but she isn’t stupid. She can tell they aren’t any closer to finding her dad and Dick notices how she gets quieter and more withdrawn with every day.

Alfred, as the only still functional adult in the house who doesn’t spend most of his time searching for Jason, tries to draw her out of her shell and take her mind off of things, but even the seemingly all-powerful butler can’t accomplish this feat. The only person in the house who would be able to reach Lian is Roy, but he is lost himself.

After Bruce’s refusal to let him participate in the search during that first night Roy had demanded to join them the next. Since then Arsenal has been terrorizing any associate of Black Mask’s he could find, putting the fear of god into anyone who dared stand in his way, but still had found nothing, just like the rest of them.

When Roy isn’t out in the streets of Gotham hunting down criminals, he is down in the Cave. He doesn’t sleep, just like Dick and Bruce, and Dick can see the frantic desperation in his blood-shot eyes whenever they cross paths.

After a few days of non-stop work Alfred insists that Roy leave the Cave for a few hours to spend time with his daughter. Dick sees the heavy weight of guilt that descends onto Roy’s shoulders at those words, adding to the sheer crushing load he is already burdening himself with. He goes upstairs, but when Dick sees him and Lian a while later in the sitting room, they are both silent, staring blankly into the distance.

It is as if with Jason gone neither of them knows how to live anymore, has just stopped to exist and Dick feels new tears come to his eyes, even though he had thought them long since run out over the last few days.

For a brief moment Dick wonders if the damage done to his brother’s husband and daughter, to all of them really, is irreparable. Wonders if finding Jason could ever simply repair what has been broken in each and every member of this family when he was taken, or if this will be how things are going to be from now on; people drifting through the Manor like ghosts, little girls staring at the walls with empty eyes.

He has to force himself to stop thinking like this, knows down that road lies nothing but despair. They **will** find Jason and even though this ordeal will leave marks on them, they will get better. Together, as a family.

And still, for now they are all trapped in this limbo of searching and worrying and running into dead ends at any turn. Dick can feel the urge to break down and scream get stronger with every failure and the only thing stopping him is the thought of Lian’s empty eyes, of Roy’s absolute forlornness. If he gives up he will never see them happy again and that is something he cannot accept, so he pushes himself to go on, even though the darkness in his chest is big enough to drown in.

A week passes like this.

A week since that fateful evening in that damned warehouse, a week of waking nightmares, a week of pure desperation.

A week passes and then they get their first glimpse of Jason, although not in the form any of them would have expected.

They are all down in the Cave even though it is still early. Time doesn’t have any meaning for Dick anymore, except for the mental counter in his head, keeping track of how long Jason has been in Sionis’s hands.

They are all busy working on something, no chatter or jokes that would usually be exchanged when the whole family is down here – because not the whole family is present, and the emptiness Jason’s absence causes seems to get bigger with each day, swallowing what little light there was in this dark cave.

Dick doesn’t even notice at first that Alfred has joined them downstairs. The butler had stayed up in the Manor as usual with Lian, unwilling to leave the little girl alone even though Dick is sure the old man is burning for any opportunity to help find his grandson. Looking after his great-granddaughter is more important however and Dick knows deep down that Alfred is the strongest of them, the only one who can put Lian’s needs before their own hurt and desperation.

Dick doesn’t notice until Roy makes a choked sound, followed by a quiet “Oh god” that makes Dick’s hair stand on end with the raw pain layered over these two words.

He is up in seconds, standing next to Roy’s chair before he even registers that he moved. The rest of the family had reacted just the same, crowding around the redhead and Alfred, who was already standing next to him.

Roy’s eyes are fixed on the table in front of him, hands held close against his sides like he pulled them back quickly, and Dick feels dread fill him as he also looks down.

He expects something horrible, but all he sees is a simple brown envelope, Roy’s name and the Manor’s address neatly printed on the side. He doesn’t have more than a moment to wonder why mail for Roy would be sent to the Manor, who would know that he is staying here, before Bruce’s hand reaches for the envelope.

He is wearing lab gloves already and Dick absentmindedly marvels at his father’s preparedness, but when he picks it up the items lying beneath it become visible and Dick’s thoughts are forced elsewhere.

The envelope is already open and Roy had apparently shaken the contents onto the table before throwing it on top of them. It’s nothing spectacularly gruesome but it still takes Dick’s breath away for a moment.

The first thing he sees is the solid gold wedding ring on top, shining up at him innocently. Even if he didn’t know the context of the situation, he would have recognized it as Jason’s, the solid red band running around the middle making it distinctive and easy to identify. Beneath the ring lies a piece of paper, words written on it in simple blue ink.

_He doesn’t need this anymore._

While Dick is just staring Roy reaches forward, his usually steady hand noticeably trembling as he picks up the ring and lays it into his flat palm, letting it rest next to its twin worn on his own finger.

For a moment every pair of eyes is focused on the two rings, side by side, just as their owners should be. Then Bruce reaches for the piece of paper and when he picks it up Dick can see that the words aren’t written on normal paper, but the backside of a photo.

He closes his eyes as he briefly flashes back to the warehouse, seeing the picture of Roy and Lian that had started all of this in Black Mask’s hand in his mind, and when he opens them again Bruce has turned it around and they can all see what is on it.

It’s a close up shot of hands.

Jason’s hands, loosely curled into fists, missing the ring Roy is now holding and a pair of handcuffs connecting his wrists. Dick can tell that his brother must have worn the restraints for some time already, the skin surrounding them is bruised and split, speaking of his struggle against the tight metal bands. He feels a tiny flare of hope at the realisation that this means Jason must be fighting back, is not complying blindly with whatever Sionis tells him to do, but that spark is short lived. Jason is still a prisoner, still held somewhere they can’t even find. There is no telling how long he can stay defiant, endure whatever is being done to him, and they are no closer to finding him now than they were a week ago.

Dick is so lost in his thoughts it takes him a few long seconds to even spot the words written on the bottom of the picture. He doesn’t understand what they mean until he connects them to the words on the back, the ring, the picture and then fury rises up inside him.

_Mine suit him better._

How dare Sionis compare a pair of handcuffs to a wedding ring? Compare what he is doing to Jason with what his brother and Roy have?

When he looks up from those taunting words he finds his rage and disgust mirrored on everyone’s faces. 

Before anyone can say anything Roy suddenly stands up, pushing his way through the small crowd gathered around him and towards the stairs leading up to the Manor.

“Roy,” Dick calls, taking a few hesitant steps after him, but his brother-in-law doesn’t even slow down or turn around to acknowledge him. Instead he practically runs up the stairs and vanishes into the house.

Dick takes a few more steps until a thin hand grabs his shoulder, squeezing gently.

“Let him go, Master Richard.”

Dick turns to Alfred ready to argue, but the old man looks so tired and worn out, hurt in a way he doesn’t let them see normally, that he can’t bring himself to do it.

Instead he nods meekly and they both return to the others, who have now started to gather whatever evidence they can from the envelope and photo.

“It was simply delivered with the morning post. I did not think to check it before bringing the letter to Master Roy,” Alfred says and his words are heavy with guilt.

“You couldn’t have known, Alfie,” Dick says and Bruce gives a grunt in agreement, focused on examining the envelope with the utmost concentration.

“At least we have something now,” Tim says, although he sounds less hopeful than the words would imply.

They are all aware that Sionis had managed to prevent them from finding anything in the last seven days, had planned everything perfectly up until now. The chance that he messed up with this deliberate taunt is slim…but they have nothing else to go on.

Dick hums in wordless agreement and starts to get to work himself. The chance might be slim, but for his brother he would face the most impossible odds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of plot and a lot of angst. Hope you enjoy it.  
> Thanks for all the nice comments and kudos :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You could all probably already tell, but this story is getting quite dark. There is still nothing explicit in this chapter, but just to warn you, there are (very) short descriptions of distressing pictures.

Just as Dick had expected, the contents of the letter don’t bring them any closer to finding Jason. There had been no fingerprints or traces of DNA on the envelope and the photo doesn’t show anything that could help them find the location where it was taken. The only thing they are able to find out is where the letter was posted.

They canvass the neighbourhood around the mailbox but find nothing suspicious. It is a residential part of Gotham, so Dick and Tim even go out in broad daylight to question the people living closest to the mailbox in their civilian identities under the pretence of a newly planned Wayne community project. Some people are more willing to talk to them like this than with their alter-egos but still, no one saw anything.

There is no surveillance camera directly capturing the right part of the street, so in the end Tim installs his own setup in case Black Mask’s men use the same mailbox again in the future. Dick doesn’t get his hopes up, but there is nothing else for them to do.

The days continue to go by and Wayne Manor is swallowed by bleakness and despair. It’s as if that letter robbed them all of their last hope to find Jason, showed them all so very clearly what was being done to him because of their inability to rescue him. They still go out every night, still devote every resource they have to finding him, but Dick can see that no one really expects to find anything anymore.

A small voice in the back of Dick’s head starts to question how long they can go on like this, spend their time chasing the impossible and neglecting the rest of Gotham in their manic search. He tells that voice to shut up, but it is starting to get louder with every day. And realistically Dick knows there will come a point where they have to be reasonable and quit their search, but he tells himself that it won’t come that far, something will happen before then…it’s the only way he manages to keep going.

When he is up in the Manor he tries to put on a hopeful front, especially for Lian. He doesn’t know how successful he is in this, because lately he can barely look at his niece. Roy had given her Jason’s wedding ring and she is now wearing it on a necklace ‘to keep Jayjay safe and close to her heart’. When the little girl had explained this to Dick, he could have sworn a vice had closed around his chest, making him unable to breathe for several long seconds. In the end he had smiled at her, told her she was doing good and fled the room.

If only the love of an eight-year-old was enough to keep his brother safe.

While his daughter had gotten slightly better, Roy had only gotten worse since the letter. Dick knows that he still blames himself for everything that is happening to Jason. One early morning after Dick had once again returned from his patrol in Gotham with nothing to show for, he had noticed that the door to Jason’s childhood bedroom had been open a small crack when he was on his way to his own room. As he had gotten closer, he could hear Roy’s voice, watery and broken, talking to someone who wasn’t there.

He had been pleading with Jason to forgive him, begging him to come back to him, promising to do whatever it would take, and Dick had had to steady himself against the wall to keep from crumpling to the ground. It had taken him a long time to be able to move on from that spot in the dark hallway. He had known he shouldn’t be listening to his brother-in-law bare his soul, but every desperate word he heard had felt like a knife stabbing into him and deep down he knew he deserved to feel this pain for his failure to save Jason.

Once he finally got his legs to work again he had briefly contemplated whether he should go in and talk to Roy, but he had immediately dismissed it. There were no words that would help him and letting him know that Dick had been listening to his breakdown felt like another betrayal on top of everything else. So Dick had walked on silent feet past the open door and spent the rest of the night lying in bed, staring at the ceiling with the feeling of tears running down into his hair. 

Two weeks after Jason had been taken, one week after the letter had arrived, a second one is delivered to Wayne Manor.

This time the family is sitting around the breakfast table, a concession to Alfred’s increasingly harsher demands that they take care of themselves even during this trying time. It is more a perfunctory task than a family meal, but nevertheless everyone is in attendance.

When Alfred steps into the room, face grim and posture rigid, they all know something must have happened. The butler holds up the brown envelope in his gloved hand and they can all read Roy’s name and the address of the Manor in the same neat print as on the last one.

Roy tries to surge out of his seat to get it immediately but Bruce holds him back with a firm hand on his shoulder.

“Let me the fuck go,” Roy seethes.

Bruce just looks at him with sad eyes, his face seeming to have aged years in the last weeks.

“You don’t need to look at this,” he says softly.

Roy snarls and actually bares his teeth and for a moment Dick is sure he will attack Bruce, but he only wrenches his shoulder from his grip and gets up from his seat.

“Whatever is in there is addressed to me.” Roy’s voice sounds shaky, but as he goes on it becomes steadier, an undercurrent of conviction lacing his words. “Jason is my husband, whatever he is going through I will be there for him and if it is only by looking at pictures. We promised to share every burden and I won’t hide from this because it makes me upset. He deserves better.”

Roy is breathing heavily when he is finished and Bruce can only blink at him, conceding Roy’s point with a small nod, as the rest of the table is caught in a stunned silence. 

Roy turns around to Alfred but when he is about to take the envelope into his own hand a small voice from the table stops him mid-motion.

“Are that news about Jayjay? I want to see!”

Dick is aware of everyone around the table exchanging quick glances and he himself looks at Lian, who is sitting next to the vacated chair of her father. Her eyes are firmly trained on Roy, such a hopeful expression on her face, and Dick feels his heart clench painfully.

Roy slowly meets his daughter’s gaze, attempting to smile at her but it looks more like a grimace.

“It might be, honey,” he starts, voice carefully even. “But it might not be…good.”

Roy doesn’t seem to know what else to say and neither does anyone else at the table. Keeping the truth about the intentions behind Jason’s abduction from Lian has been imperative and no one wants to give it away even by accident.

Dick can see Lian’s expression darken, knows the signs of an oncoming argument, but before he can do anything to intervene Bruce already does.

His father gets up and strides with long steps towards Alfred, taking the letter delicately from him before turning back to address the table.

“I will open this in the Cave with Roy. The rest of you stay here!”

Bruce ignores the protests that immediately follow as he leaves the room, Roy close behind him. Everyone else also gets up to follow and Dick has the advantage of the longest legs, so he catches up with them the fastest.

“I’m coming with you!” he declares and Bruce gives him a displeased look, lips pressed firmly together in disapproval, but he doesn’t stop him from stepping through the hidden entrance behind the old grandfather clock.

It’s a different story for Tim and Damian. Dick can hear them argue loudly with Bruce behind him as he descends into the Cave, but a minute later only Bruce makes his way down and Dick can confess to himself that he is glad his little brothers won’t have to see whatever is in that envelope.

Once the three of them are gathered around a lab table Roy reaches for the letter with gloved hands, opening it with only a minute tremble to his fingers.

Just as Dick had expected (dreaded) another photo slides out.

It is eerily similar to the first one, but the differences make Dick’s stomach turn. Once again they are looking at Jason’s cuffed hands, but where they were resting on a table in the previous picture, they are now clearly attached to the headboard of a bed. They can only see a small part of Jason’s arms, but that is enough to tell that he was lying on his back when the picture was taken. By the angle of the shot, whoever took the picture must have been directly above Jason and Dick can see the whole scene in his head, Jason tied to the bed with Sionis straddling him, camera in hand.

There are no words on the front of the picture this time, but when Bruce turns the photo around they are once again greeted by a taunting message from Sionis.

_Did he ever get this kinky with you in bed?_

Roy lets out an inhuman sound, deep and guttural, before he spins around and smashes his fist into the wall. He tries to take another swing but Bruce grabs his arm in a vicelike grip, not letting go even when Roy turns on him and starts to swing at him instead.

Dick feels frozen as he watches his brother-in-law attack his father, sees him punch and kick while Bruce just stoically lets him. It doesn’t take long for Roy to run out of energy as his fury ebbs away and leaves only sorrow and pain behind.

When he lets out the first sob Bruce pulls Roy close, taking him gently into his arms. The tenderness of Bruce’s hands as they cradle Roy’s head and stroke his back, of his voice as he murmurs soothing nothings down at the younger man, stands in such a stark contrast to the rage burning in his eyes that Dick wonders how one human being can fit both into a single body at the same time.

He feels himself come out of his daze when his father meets his eyes and Dick nods in determination at him, starting to get to work on investigating the envelope and photo for clues while Bruce continues to hold his son-in-law as he breaks apart.

* * *

They find nothing, once again. Sionis is too careful, enjoys himself too much to slip up. The letter wasn’t even posted through the same mailbox, making their only hope for a lead go cold.

Roy had broken two fingers with his punch to the wall, but even with this injury he goes out every night. None of them try to stop him and Dick honestly would be afraid to. He isn’t certain what would happen to Roy or what he might do if he couldn’t continue his search for Jason.

Five days after the second letter a third arrives.

Tim and Damian shoot them misgiving looks as they are once again not allowed down in the Cave to see what is in it, but they don’t argue. They had seen Roy’s state after the last one and no matter how long they asked neither Bruce nor Dick had told them anything.

Bruce gives Roy an assessing look before he goes to open the envelope and Dick also monitors his reaction out of the corner of his eye.

The expected photo slides out and this time it shows Jason’s throat and upper chest, which are covered in hickeys and faint teeth marks.

When no one reacts Dick reaches for the picture with numb fingers and turns it over.

_Can you still taste him?_

Roy lets out a wounded sound as he squeezes his eyes shut and Dick can see his hands clench against his sides. He knows this must hurt with the broken fingers, but Dick’s own hands are trembling so hard, he isn’t even sure he could reach out and pry open Roy’s to stop him from further injuring himself. After a few harsh breaths Roy opens his eyes again and then he turns away from them without another word, heading for his motorcycle.

When he tears out of the Cave Dick finally turns to Bruce, looking for guidance, but his father is still staring down at the picture, which he is now holding in his hand.

Dick had thought he had seen Bruce at his lowest after Jason’s death, after Damian’s death, but the sheer heartbreak in his father’s eyes makes his breath stop for a moment. And in a way he can understand; at least death had been an end of his brothers’ suffering, had held the promise of peace. Jason is the furthest from those he could be and there is still no end in sight.

When Dick can’t take seeing his father like this any longer he lays a gentle hand on his arm.

“We will get him back,” he says when Bruce finally looks at him.

He knows he doesn’t sound convincing, but Bruce must see the desperation in his eyes, his need for his father to still believe in this and so Bruce gives him a sharp nod, visibly pulling the emotionless mask of Batman over himself.

“Jason always comes back,” Bruce says with more conviction than Dick managed and he gives his father a weak but grateful smile in answer.

* * *

There are more letters after this.

Dick despises them and also hopes to see the next one as they are the only proof they have that Jason is still out there, that they still have a chance to get him back.

There is a sick kind of routine to their arrival now, with Alfred bringing the customary brown envelope with Roy’s name on it to Bruce, who takes it down to the Cave and opens it with Roy and Dick present. They check each one for any kind of useful trace, but never find anything.

There is always one photo in the letter, showing some part of Jason’s body, but they never see his face. As the letters get more frequent, the time between them shrinking from five to three to two days, the images get worse.

After the hickeys come legs kneeling on the ground, followed by ankles tied spread eagle to bedposts, bruises in the form of handprints on Jason’s hips, nail scratches running up his thighs…

Every picture is accompanied by a message directed at Roy and Dick can tell that Sionis gets off just as much on torturing him as he does on abusing Jason.

When the picture with the whip marks across Jason’s back arrives Dick can’t hold back the urge to be sick. Roy is trembling next to him and Bruce has his jaw clenched so tightly Dick wonders if his teeth might crack.

_Did you have to discipline him?_

The next images are all marked by violence. Deep bruises, cigarette burns, real bitemarks documenting the escalation in Sionis’s behaviour. The accompanying messages turn from taunting to resentful, aiming a very specific kind of hatred at Roy.

“He’s jealous,” Bruce says one day after they have opened the newest letter. The picture had shown bruised handprints around Jason’s throat where Sionis had obviously choked him.

_He will never say your name again!_

Roy had already blindly stormed out of the Cave with tears in his eyes, but Dick and Bruce had both learned it was best to let him go by now.

Dick just nods mutely at his father.

“He wants Jason for himself, but even if he has him physically, he knows now Jason will never truly be his.” Bruce is falling into his analytical voice, sounding out his thoughts even though Dick can’t see what good this knowledge will do them. “Jason won’t change his mind, no matter what he does to him. He’s too stubborn.”

Dick allows himself a small smile at that, mirroring Bruce’s own sad one.

“And I’m sure he’s telling Sionis every chance he gets,” Dick tacks on.

His brother could be persistent and contrary out of spite and deep down he knows that Jason would rather be punished for his continued devotion to Roy than ever deny his love for his husband. Sionis may have been able to make Jason go with him in the warehouse, but that doesn’t mean he has broken his spirit.

Bruce nods, but his expression turns grave then.

“Sionis is escalating, he’s getting impatient. He’s not the kind of man who takes ‘No’ for an answer for long. I think he is already starting to resent Jason for his rejection and when his patience runs out…”

Bruce doesn’t have to elaborate. Dick knows where this will end, but at the moment they are all powerless to stop it.

The next three days not a single letter arrives at the Manor and Dick can feel fear choke him more with every second. Has Sionis already snapped? Did he go too far accidentally and kill Jason in a rage or simply got tired of him?

He can tell that everyone else is thinking along the same lines. Tim and Damian might not have seen the contents of the letters since the first one, but they had also come to expect the deliveries, know that such a sudden deviation cannot mean anything good.

On the fourth day without a new letter Dick is practically vibrating out of his skin with anxiety and he barely registers what is going on around him. That is, until Lian addresses the table at the end of breakfast.

“Does anyone know where Dad went? He wasn’t in his room and I couldn’t find him the whole morning.”

For the first time Dick notices that Roy’s chair is empty and he feels dread pool inside him. Judging by the silence from everyone else, no one knows where Roy is. Even Alfred shakes his head slightly, a deep frown marring his forehead, and Dick knows he is already berating himself internally for not knowing the location of one of the house’s occupants.

“We’ll call him, sweetheart,” Bruce says, already getting out his phone and dialling.

As the phone rings and Bruce’s expression gets grimmer as he apparently gets no answer, Dick’s stomach sinks. Roy had been at the Manor whenever he wasn’t out searching for Jason these past weeks and Dick can’t imagine any reason why he would leave early in the morning without telling any of them or even saying goodbye to Lian – no good reason at least.

“I’ll look in the Cave,” Tim says, already getting up as Bruce ends the call without success.

Dick doubts Roy will simply be somewhere in the house. Not answering his phone is a very bad sign, since they all make a point of being always reachable in case some kind of news regarding Jason comes in. Still, Dick also gets up, giving Lian a hopefully reassuring smile.

“He probably just forgot to tell us he went out. I’m gonna look in his room, maybe he left a message.”

Dick makes his way out of the dining room and a second set of footsteps joins his. A look to the side shows him Bruce catching up with him with a dark expression and behind him he can see Damian hurry in the direction of the Cave as Alfred corrals Lian into the sitting room.

Once they arrive at the room Jason and Roy always occupy when they stay at the Manor Dick and Bruce both halt after their first step inside, instinctively checking the space for any signs of a fight or any other unusual disturbance. They don’t see anything, so they start to look around, Bruce going over the contents of the desk while Dick opens the night tables.

Dick is just starting to open the closet to look for any kind of clue in there when Bruce calls his name from behind him. The tone of his voice tells him he found something and that whatever it is isn’t good.

He turns around, closing the distance between him and his father in hurried strides until he stands next to him, looking at the piece of paper in Bruce’s hand. Roy’s messy scrawl greets him, spelling a single sentence.

_Tell Lian I love her, no matter what happens._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a cliffhanger, but I'm already writing the next chapter, so it will hopefully be resolved quite soon ;)
> 
> Thank you all for the nice comments and kudos.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter again includes some darker elements, to avoid spoilers I put some more detailed warnings in the endnotes. Nothing graphic once again.

The single piece of paper is the only clue they can find in Jason and Roy’s room and Dick feels more frantic by the second. They had all known that Roy wasn’t doing well, had been getting worse with every new photo that showed so vividly what his husband was going through, but Dick never thought he would ever leave Lian behind like this.

A dark voice in his head is telling him that his inability to save Jason has now cost Lian her other father as well and Dick barely has the strength left to shove those thoughts away.

No, there has to be an explanation, Dick tells himself. Whatever this is, it has to be about Jason. Roy must have found something and gone to investigate on his own. The message makes sense if Roy thought he was heading out into danger, wasn’t sure he would make it back, but Dick knows he would rather face death than leave his husband for one more day in the hands of Sionis.

But why hadn’t he told them about it?

“B-” Dick starts, trailing off because he doesn’t know what to say.

His father gives him a look that speaks of his own loss at the situation, the new fear and worry for Roy that is now added to the already overwhelming emotions burdening them all for the last weeks. As Dick watches Bruce collects himself with impressive speed, shutting his feelings away behind a wall and donning the guise of Batman without ever touching the cowl.

“We are going to find him,” he says, voice already lower, as he strides past Dick and in the direction of the Cave.

When they get down they find Tim already busy on the computer while Damian is rummaging around in the changing area. He has broken open Roy’s locker, and while that would normally be a strictly forbidden breach of privacy, now Dick only hopes that his little brother finds something of use.

Tim meanwhile glances up at them when Dick and Bruce come to stand next to him, looking over his shoulder at the monitors he’s working on.

“I think Roy left the property about four hours ago. I couldn’t see him on the cameras, but he knows the surveillance system and there was a slight glitch near the gate at that time, so…”

Bruce and Dick just nod. Honestly, Dick hadn’t really expected anything else from Roy. If he doesn’t want to be seen, he knows how to make that happen – all of them do, really.

“Any idea where he went?” Bruce asks, though Dick can tell he is less than hopeful.

Tim shakes his head slightly, turning back to the computer. “He disabled the tracker in his phone and he hasn’t made any calls that I could trace. I’m analysing all surveillance footage near the Manor from the last few hours and Oracle is running facial recognition on the data from Gotham, but if he doesn’t want to be found, he knows how to evade us.”

“Harper did not take his gear or armor,” comes Damian’s voice from behind them and when they turn around he is holding up Roy’s uniform and bow for them to see.

“There is nothing helpful in there,” Damian goes on dejectedly, nodding his head back at the locker he had just ransacked.

They turn back to Tim and Dick can hear Damian dump Roy’s stuff unceremoniously on the ground before he joins them. He stands unusually close to Dick and that alone tells him how scared his little brother is right now.

Dick shifts closer, lets their arms rest against each other and can feel Damian lean against him in answer. It’s not much but it is the only comfort he can provide right now.

“Did you guys find anything?” Tim asks, fingers dancing across the keyboard and eyes focused on his monitors.

“Just this,” Bruce says stonily after a moment of hesitation and holds up the piece of paper.

Dick can hear Damian inhale sharply next to him and the quiet “Fuck!” Tim lets out as they both look with wide eyes at Roy’s message. There is a heavy silence for a few long seconds before Tim speaks up, words quiet and halting.

“Do you…do you think he is suicidal?”

Dick hadn’t even entertained that possibility, but Bruce immediately shakes his head, voice filled with conviction when he answers.

“No. Roy would never give up on Jason or abandon Lian like that. I think something prompted this, some kind of message or demand from Sionis. He’s been targeting Roy more with every letter and most likely he found another way to contact him. Can you check the call and message data from his phone for this morning?”

Tim eagerly nods his head, turning back around and getting to work. After several moments of rapid typing Tim stops, brow furrowed.

“Roy encrypted his phone data. I think I can crack it, but it might take a little while.” His tone is apologetic, but Bruce lays a hand on his shoulder and squeezes once.

“You can do it,” he says before turning around and stalking to the changing rooms.

Tim gets back to work and Dick hurries to catch up with their father. He has already started to get suited up and Dick gets his own Nightwing uniform out and begins changing as well. When he is just putting on his gloves he hears a firm “No” behind him and whirls around, already prepared to argue with Bruce, but his father’s attention isn’t on him.

Damian has also followed them and is already halfway dressed in his Robin gear. There is a mulish expression on his face and he and Bruce are staring at each other with such similar looks of determination, it would be sweet under any other circumstances.

“Father-“ Damian begins, but Bruce doesn’t even let him finish a single sentence.

“You will stay here Damian, is that clear?” Bruce growls, voice hard and unforgiving.

Dick can see Damian reel slightly back at the intensity of their father’s command, but he still sets his shoulders, not willing to give up so easily.

“I will not sit idly by while this monster destroys our family,” Damian spits, indignant and furious. “He has taken Todd, and now Harper, and I won’t let him get away with it. I won’t let him do that to Lian.”

Damian’s voice trails off, unusually choked up and Dick can instantly see Bruce soften.

“Damian, I know you want to help. But I don’t want you anywhere near that man. He has already done too much to this family and I won’t let him touch another one of my sons.”

“You’re not stopping Grayson,” Damian says petulantly, but Dick can hear from his voice that he has calmed down, knows Bruce won’t change his mind. Their father lets out a deep sigh.

“I would if I still could,” Bruce says, and his voice sounds so weary Dick can practically feel his father’s exhaustion in his bones.

With a last squeeze to Damian’s shoulder Bruce sweeps out of the room and Dick gives his little brother the most confident smile he can still manage.

“We will bring them back, Little D. I promise.”

Damian purses his lips, obviously still displeased, but nods at him and then Dick turns to follow Bruce, practically running to the Batmobile. The moment Dick pulls the passenger door closed Bruce tears out of the Cave, putting them on the road leading into Central Gotham. They don’t know where they have to go, but hopefully they are heading in the right direction anyway.

Just as they are about to cross the bridge into the city their comms crackle to life.

“I’ve got a signal from Roy, he must have activated some kind of transmitter he has with him. I’m sending you his coordinates now and also…” Tim’s voice falters for a moment before he goes on in his usual professional Red Robin voice, “and also there is an audio feed. I’m patching it through now.”

Dick barely has enough time to register what Tim just said before the voice he had last heard in an abandoned warehouse calling his little brother their pet comes through the speakers of the car.

“-all here, we can get on with it.”

There is a sense of anticipation coupled with glee in Sionis’s voice, but Dick doesn’t even have time to worry about that, because a second later another voice speaks, one he had also last heard in that godforsaken warehouse.

“Roy?”

Jason’s voice is hoarse and so much quieter than normal, but there is a sense of relief in it, and so much love Dick can feel tears spring into his eyes. He hears his father pull in a sharp breath next to him and when he glances over he can see Bruce’s gloved hands tighten their grip on the steering wheel as he accelerates the car even more.

“Hey Jaybird,” Roy answers and he sounds faint, as if he can barely produce the words, his voice choked by the emotions no doubt tearing through him.

There is a moment of silence and Dick can just imagine his little brother and his husband staring at each other, but it is broken by Sionis who spits his next words with such venom, Dick feels the need to recoil.

“Isn’t this just the sweetest reunion.”

Dick can’t really tell what Sionis does next, but a sudden low whine from Jason makes it clear he is in some way hurting him, followed by a growl of fury from Roy.

“You wanted me here,” Roy grits out, only barely keeping the anger in his voice under control, “I came like you asked, now let Jason go!”

They were right that Sionis had somehow contacted Roy, but Dick can’t imagine it would be as simple as that for them to get Jason back. Roy is obviously also aware of this, or he wouldn’t have left like he did. But Dick knows he would never have let any opportunity to get his husband back go by and he can’t fault him for that. And the fact that Roy had somehow smuggled a listening and tracking device into wherever they are meeting and is currently broadcasting to them speaks of his trust in Sionis’s word.

Just as expected, Sionis chuckles at that.

“Not so fast, _Roy_ ,” he says, speaking the name like it is the vilest curse. “Now that we are here together, I wanted to have a little chat.”

“What about?” Roy shoots back, voice murderous.

“What is it about you that makes him so devoted to you? What makes you so _special_.”

The jealousy that had coloured every one of the last messages to the Manor is on full display in Sionis’s words, making them cruel and ugly. Dick can practically picture Roy’s incredulous stare in the silence that follows.

“I don’t put him in fucking chains, for a start,” Roy eventually bites out.

“Funny,” Sionis only retorts, but the resentment in his voice is still overwhelming.

When Roy doesn’t go on, refuses to play Sionis’s little game, he obviously gets impatient.

“What do you like about him then, pet?”

When there is no immediate answer the sound of something being pulled crackles through the speakers and from the choked sound Jason makes Dick can tell he must be wearing some kind of collar Sionis just yanked on.

“Stop!” comes Roy’s voice, distraught and furious, and it sounds like he has taken a few steps forward, but something Sionis does must halt him immediately.

“I asked him a question, he knows I expect an answer.”

There are a few harsh breaths before Jason forces out “Fuck you”, voice breathy and rough, but so unmistakably him that Dick feels his lips twitch up in a smile.

The slap that sounds is not really a surprise but Dick’s fists still clench at his sides at the audible mistreatment of his brother. He just wants them to get there and pay Sionis back for ever daring to lay a hand on Jason.

“Touch him again-“ Roy begins, but Sionis just scoffs.

“And what?” he challenges, malicious and taunting. There is a moment of intense silence and then he goes on, voice unbearably smug, “that’s what I thought. I can do whatever I want with him. I already have.”

As if to prove it the wet sounds of kissing come through the speakers and it sounds exactly like it did back in that warehouse. Dick can hear Roy’s breath hiss from beneath clenched teeth as he is obviously trying to stop himself from simply ripping Sionis off Jason. There must be other people in the room with them or some other way Sionis is controlling him, but Dick knows Roy must burn for the opportunity to tear the crime lord to shreds.

When he finally releases Jason with a satisfied sigh, Sionis addresses Roy once again. “You’re sure you even want him back? The things I did to him…”

Dick hears a growl from next to him and when he looks over he can see how tightly Bruce’s jaw is clenched, how his entire frame shakes with suppressed rage. He might be wearing the cowl, but Dick can still see the murderous expression on his father’s face and for a moment he wonders if today will be the day Bruce breaks his most important rule. If not, Dick thinks, he himself might.

“You can’t break what we have, no matter what you do,” Roy declares. The sheer conviction and sincerity in those words sends a shiver down Dick’s back and in this moment he so very grateful his little brother has found such an amazing partner in Roy.

Sionis is unsurprisingly not pleased with this answer. The derisive scoff he gives is testament enough, but he still goes on in a mocking voice.

“How very touching. Let’s put that to the test, shall we. You still want him after all this, it’s only fair we ask Jason if he still wants you, the _real_ you.”

Dick feels his brow wrinkle in confusion at those words and a heavy feeling settles in his stomach. Whatever Sionis has planned, it can’t be good.

The sound of a suitcase being opened echoes from the speakers and a second later Jason’s voice follows, louder than before and with an edge of panic to it.

“No, please Roy don’t-”

Sionis cuts him off, voice hard. “Do it or I will never let him go. I’m sure you remember how this works.”

Dick feels ice run through his veins as he realises what Sionis wants Roy to do. He couldn’t break these two apart, so he wants to break them individually as much as possible. Jason with the horrible abuse he already had to endure and now Roy, by forcing him to take drugs again after he has been clean for so long.

Dick looks over at Bruce in desperation, hoping his father has some plan how they can stop this before it is too late. 

“How long…” Dick starts and Bruce grits out “Five minutes” sounding like he would give anything to make that time shorter.

Black Mask just had to choose a location so far away from the Manor. It seems almost like another of his taunts, the knowledge that they will be too late to stop him from hurting a member of their family once again.

“Okay,” Roy says quietly and Dick has to close his eyes at the wounded sound Jason makes.

“It’s fine, Jaybird,” Roy goes on, voice strangely calm. “We’ll get through this.”

There are long moments where no one says anything, only the sounds of Roy preparing the shot of heroin he is forced to take coming from the speakers.

“I love you,” Roy finally says and Jason echoes the words.

Dick can tell the exact moment Roy injects himself because Jason lets out an agonized sound and a few seconds later Roy sighs in that deep way most addicts do when the hit starts to take effect.

“Missed it?” Sionis asks, voice cruel.

“No, it’s…fuck…” Roy’s words come out breathy and he sounds far away, already sinking into the high of the drug, a dull thump telling them Roy has gone down to his knees as the effects take hold.

“And this is what you choose over me?”

Sionis sounds mocking and angry at the same time and Dick can picture him looking down at Roy in disgust as he speaks.

“Always,” Jason simply answers.

Sionis is no doubt displeased, but he doesn’t punish Jason. Instead he just laughs, cruel and vicious, his amusement making Dick’s hair stand on end. “We will see.”

Dick doesn’t understand this reaction until Roy speaks again, sounding confused and faint in an alarming way.

“Jay…think it was…too mch-“

The last word is accompanied by the sound of Roy hitting the floor and Jason shouting his name.

“No, Roy, please. Stay awake. Roy!”

“Dick,” Bruce says urgently from his side, but Dick is already climbing into the back to access the big medkit they have on hand. He takes out two doses of Naloxon, putting one into his own belt and giving the other one to Bruce. If they can administer the antidote in time Roy will survive this overdose. And they are only a few minutes away, he tells himself firmly, they won’t be too late.

“Everyone out!” Sionis barks as Dick climbs back into the passenger seat. Footsteps sound, his men obeying without question, and then only Roy’s laboured breathing and Jason’s desperate pleas for him to stay awake remain audible.

“I would have given you the world,” Sionis finally says, and even if those words didn’t carry an air of finality with them, the bitterness and resentment in his voice would have told Dick enough. This is his endgame and whatever it is, it won’t be pleasant.

“I would have given you anything and you choose this junkie over me?”

“You’ll never be even half the man Roy is, you fucking-“

Jason’s words are cut off by the sound of flesh hitting flesh, and then he crashes noisily to the floor, letting out a pained shout as he goes down.

“Jay,” Roy slurs, concern trying to win over the lethargy weighing his voice down. He sounds barely awake, but with an overdose even that level of consciousness won’t last long.

“I guess he fits better to a whore from Crime Alley like you,” Sionis muses, completely ignoring both of them. Fabric rustles and it sounds like Sionis is also kneeling down before the unmistakable sound of a zipper being opened makes his intentions crystal clear.

“No,” Dick whispers just as Jason echoes the word. Dick can’t listen to his brother being violated like this, they are nearly there, only a minute away from finally rescuing him, something has to stop this.

“Hold still!” Sionis orders coldly accompanied by the sound of Jason choking once again. “Let’s show your husband what a good little bitch you can be.”

Jason lets out a sob and Dick feels sick as the sound of fabric being pulled down comes from the speakers. Dick braces himself for the horror that will surely come, but instead he hears some sudden quick movement very close to the transmitter followed by a wet, gurgling sound.

“You’ll never…touch him…again,” Roy says, voice strained but still sounding vicious even under the haze of the drugs.

The gurgling sound continues, joined by gasping breaths, and it finally clicks in Dick’s head. He is listening to Roman Sionis choke on his own blood, most likely from a wound to the throat caused by some kind of projectile Roy threw.

Dick can’t find it in himself to feel bad as he listens to Sionis take his last few breaths before a heavy thump and the end of the gurgling tell him the crime lord is dead.

“Roy!” Jason’s voice sounds relieved and scared at the same time. “Roy, stay with me. Come on, baby.”

Going by the shuffling noises Jason is moving closer to Roy, his voice getting louder as he tries to keep Roy from succumbing to the drugs.

“Roy, please. I’ll get you out, but you have to help me out of these cuffs first. Roy!”

The panic in Jason’s voice tells Dick that Roy must have lost consciousness and a few seconds later his laboured breathing also stops.

“No!” Jason shouts, voice sounding wet with tears. “No, Roy breathe!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mentions of (coerced) drug use, attempted rape, brief mention of suicide
> 
> I left you with another cliffhanger, sorry. But Jason and Roy are finally reunited, so that is something ;)  
> Thank you so much for all the kind comments and kudos =D


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter got super long, but I just loved writing it so damn much.

The Batmobile screeches to a halt in front of the building Roy’s signal transmits from and Dick and Bruce are out of the car before either of the guards stationed in front of it have time to blink. Dick is already taking the first thug down as Bruce jumps over the hood, planting his feet straight into the chest of the second man just trying to get his gun up.

They are through the door in seconds, all the while listening to Jason’s increasing panic over the comms.

The last minute of the drive had been agonizing. After Roy stopped breathing Jason had tried to help him but his restraints didn’t allow him to preform CPR adequately. They could hear him trying to breathe air into Roy’s lungs, but without the use of his hands it is questionable how successful he is. Between breaths Jason had been pleading with his husband not to leave him, tears choking his voice, and Dick’s heart was breaking anew with each desperate word.

Roman Sionis’s death was way too fast and painless for all the suffering he made them endure, Dick thinks darkly.

They mow through any opposition they face inside with vicious effectiveness. Dick doesn’t employ any of his usual flashy acrobatics, simply renders anyone standing in his way unconscious in the fastest way possible. It doesn’t even take them a minute to subdue everyone, but every second is one too many.

When they finally arrive at the door Black Mask’s people were guarding Bruce doesn’t waste a single breath before he kicks it open and moves into the room. Dick is right beside him and knows they are in the correct location before he even takes in the scene in front of him, as he hears the door slamming open through his comm at the same time as he watches it happen right in front of him.

Jason is kneeling in the middle of the room next to Roy, who is lying unresponsive on his back, complexion pale and waxy already. A few feet behind them lies Roman Sionis, eyes still open in shock, a deep gash across his throat and a pool of blood starting to congeal around him. Jason’s back is also drenched in blood and although Dick heard what happened, the visual reminder what Sionis was about to do to him before Roy’s intervention makes his stomach twist.

Jason’s head snaps up at their noisy entrance and for a moment there is pure panic in his wide eyes before he recognizes them and he lets out a sob of relief.

“Dad, please, Roy needs-“

“I know,” Bruce interrupts, already running to them and falling heavily to his knees next to Roy opposite Jason. Dick knows all their father wants to do is take Jason into his arms in that moment, but helping Roy is more important.

Bruce has the syringe with the Naloxon in hand and is already injecting it as Dick kneels down next to Jason, putting a light hand on his shoulder in order to convince himself that this is real, they really have Jason back. His brother flinches at the contact, but just as Dick is about to pull his hand back Jason leans into him, so he squeezes his shoulder in reassurance instead.

Bruce is now performing CPR on Roy, pumping his chest and giving him rescue breaths, and Dick feels frozen for a moment as he watches. After the second repetition he remembers that they have to get out of here and turns to Jason, looking him over properly for the first time.

The clothes Jason is wearing are drenched in blood across his back and there is even some dripping from his hair. Just as Dick had thought from what they heard earlier, there is a collar around his neck with a leash attached that is trailing back on the floor towards where Sionis lies still. When he leans to the side he can see that Jason’s hands are cuffed behind his back, a reinforced rod of leather connecting the cuffs to the collar. With the way Jason is bent slightly back because of this contraption, there is no way he had enough range of movement to free himself.

“Jay,” Dick says softly.

It takes his brother a few seconds to shift his attention from Bruce working on Roy in front of them to him. Dick gives him a small smile, but all he gets in return is a blank and exhausted look.

“Jay, I’m going to get you out of these restraints. Tell me if anything hurts, okay?”

It visibly takes Jason a few moments to process his words, but eventually he nods and shifts around a bit so his back is turned to Dick as his attention focuses back on his husband.

Dick opens the collar without problem and once he takes it off the forced tension leaves Jason’s body, allowing him to slump into a more natural position. He tries to pick the lock on the cuffs, but the mechanism is slick with blood, so in the end he gets up and walks over to Sionis’s corpse. The keys must be somewhere on him. Just as he finds them in his inner jacket pocket there is a loud, gasping breath behind him, followed by painful sounding coughs.

When he turns back Roy is finally breathing on his own again, lying on his side now as Bruce runs his hand in soothing circles over his back while Jason is muttering “Thank you” over and over again.

“He’ll be okay,” Bruce says shakily, not a shred of Batman in his voice, “you will both be okay.”

Jason doesn’t really react to the words, but when Bruce’s free hand comes up and cups his face he leans into the contact without hesitation. Dick makes quick work of the cuffs and once Jason is free Bruce takes back his hand, placing it under Roy’s knees and the other under his back.

“Time to get both of you home,” he says.

“Yeah,” Jason croaks, trying to get to his feet, but he wobbles so much Dick instinctively puts an arm around his waist to steady him. Jason lets out a hiss and Dick tries to make his touch softer without letting him fall. He knows there are injuries hidden under Jason’s clothes, had seen enough already in the photos Sionis sent them, and he doesn’t want to make anything worse.

“It’s okay,” Jason says quietly, stopping his shifting hand with one of his own. He squeezes Dick’s hand and turns his head slightly, attempting to give him a reassuring smile that is too strained to convince anyone. ”It’s not that bad.”

Dick knows he is lying, but they don’t have time to argue, so he just smiles back tightly and they start to move towards the exit as Bruce is already walking through the door with Roy in his arms. The redhead is still unconscious, but thankfully breathing on his own.

After a few steps Jason suddenly stops, his hands going down to catch his pants as they were obviously sliding down. Dick had forgotten what the last thing Sionis did in his life was, and as he watches his little brother pull up his pants and close them again, all the while avoiding Dick’s eyes with an intense expression of shame on his face, he feels that familiar feeling of failure return. Because even if they finally have Jason back, what happened to him will stay with him for a long time.

“Hey,” Dick says firmly, waiting until Jason meets his eyes, “you have nothing to be ashamed of, do you hear me?”

Jason only looks at him for a moment before his eyes flit down to the floor. Dick knows this isn’t something he will get over in a few days, but he will make damn sure Jason has the support he needs from this moment on. They have to keep going and this isn’t the place to talk about this though, so he simply places a kiss to Jason’s temple as they start moving again.

“I’m so proud of you for staying strong,” Dick murmurs into Jason’s hair and he hears a slight hitch in his brother’s breathing, but otherwise he doesn’t react.

When they make it out to the Batmobile Bruce has just laid Roy down across the backseat and Jason and Dick climb in next to him without hesitation. Bruce gets into the driver’s seat and then they are finally on their way home.

The drive is silent, both Jason and Dick focusing on Roy, monitoring his breathing and making sure it doesn’t stop again while Bruce manoeuvres them through Gotham at highly illegal speeds. They all know that Roy’s condition is still critical, that he needs monitoring and a steady regiment of the antidote to make sure he won’t suffer any other ill-effects of the overdose. And that doesn’t even take into account the relapse he will have to deal with.

Jason most likely also needs medical attention, but his condition is not as acute. Dick has an eye on him the whole time, but aside from the occasional grimace when the car turns a sharp corner or jostles unexpectedly, he doesn’t show any signs of pain.

When they roll into the Cave and park in the usual spot Alfred and Tim are already waiting for them. Dick hadn’t even thought about it, but Tim had most likely heard everything that was transmitted earlier as well. His little brother of course already knew what Jason was going through, but they had tried to at least keep him and Damian from seeing the proof like this.

Bruce immediately gets out and opens the backdoor, taking Roy gently into his arms and carrying him over to the medbay where Alfred had already prepared everything necessary and starts treating him as soon as Bruce lays him down on a cot.

It takes a few seconds, but finally Jason climbs out of the car, his movements stiff and jerky. Dick knows the adrenaline is most likely fading, leaving his brother exhausted and taking away the numbness that had masked his injuries. Dick is right behind him, close enough that he can catch him if he starts to falter.

Once they are out of the car Tim comes closer, his face unimaginably relieved as he looks at Jason.

“Jay,” Tim says, “I’m so glad you’re back.”

“Hey Timmy,” Jason croaks, voice still rough from all the mistreatment his throat had gone through, and Dick can clearly read the pang of pain on Tim’s face at the evidence what Jason had to endure.

He hides it fast though, putting on a smile as he steps closer but stops deliberately a bit more than arm’s reach away from Jason. It is the standard protocol for victims of sexual assault or long-term abductions, giving them enough personal space to feel safe, and Dick feels the sudden need to go out and destroy everything Roman Sionis ever owned at the stark reminder how this treatment is now necessary for his little brother.

Jason must recognize what Tim is doing and he gives him a small smile before he purposely steps closer. He is still not touching him, but the distance feels more natural and his willingness to be close to anyone, even his family members, after what he has just been through is a good sign, Dick thinks.

Jason looks over into the medbay where Bruce and Alfred are still busy looking after Roy and then his eyes sweep over the rest of the Cave and finally up the stairs to the door leading into the Manor.

“Is Lian…?”

Tim nods immediately, also looking to the entrance. “She’s upstairs with Damian. We didn’t think she should be down here when you guys…”

Tim trails off, apparently realising what he is saying, and turns back to Jason with an apologetic look.

“No,” Jason says, eyes still on the hidden doorway, “no, you’re right. She shouldn’t see me like this.”

Tim and Dick exchange a quick glance. Dick really doesn’t like the self-loathing in Jason’s words, but realistically he knows that self-worth issues are something they will have to expect from him.

“How about we get you cleaned up and then we can go up to see Lian?” Dick proposes.

He knows a simple shower won’t fix everything but getting at least the blood washed off and putting Jason into clean clothes, into his own clothes, will surely be a significant improvement. And Dick also knows that reuniting Jason with his daughter will be good for both of them.

Jason nods a little hesitantly and then they make their way over to the showers. Before they enter the room though Jason shoots him a pleading look, his eyes flickering briefly over to Tim and then back to Dick.

Dick understands and without question turns to Tim.

“Hey, could you get some clothes for Jason from upstairs?”

Tim frowns, obviously aware that Dick is only making an excuse to get rid of him as there are clothes for all of them down in the Cave, but after a brief look at Jason he nods easily.

“Yeah, no problem,” he says, turning around and leaving them alone.

“Thank you,” Jason says quietly as they enter the big front room of the showers.

“Whatever you need, Little Wing,” Dick answers softly.

Dick takes off the gloves of his uniform as they have dried blood on them and then also starts to take off his domino. He doesn’t know how Jason wants to do this, so he decides giving him space and privacy for now will be the best tactic. He peels off his mask, standing with his back to Jason, and is just contemplating if he should change into comfortable clothes or stay in the rest of his uniform when he notices that Jason hasn’t moved an inch since Dick turned away.

When Dick looks over at his brother he is standing completely still, fists trembling at his sides and staring at one of the shower stalls in the next room. He doesn’t react when Dick comes closer and he can see that Jason’s eyes are far away, not really registering anything in front of him. Flashbacks are to be expected but Dick had hoped they would get at least a few hours of peace, enough time to take care of Jason’s injuries and clean him up at least.

He slowly steps in front of Jason, calling his name softly. Luckily Jason doesn’t seem to be too deep in his head, because after the third time Dick says his name his brother blinks and his eyes meet Dick’s. There is so much pain in them, all Dick wants to do is take Jason into his arms and never let go again but he knows that would be the wrong thing to do right now.

Instead he smiles reassuringly at him, waiting for Jason to come fully back to himself with a few shuddering breaths before he asks, “Do you want my help?”

Dick can see the struggle in his brother’s eyes before he finally gives a jerky nod.

“Okay,” Dick says softly. “What should I do?”

He lets Jason give him instructions, only touches him when absolutely necessary and gives him space when it obviously gets too much. He has to help him take off his clothes, the deep bruises on his torso making it difficult for him to lift his arms too far or reach down. He tries not to look too closely, can see how uncomfortable Jason is with being undressed in front of him or touched on his bare skin which bears the evidence of his time in the hands of Sionis across nearly every inch, but it is impossible not to see any of it.

He already knows about the whip marks on his back, the teeth marks scattered all across his body, but when he sees the initials ‘RS’ cut into Jason’s lower back he can’t help the agonized sound he makes.

Jason flinches at his reaction and Dick instantly regrets his loss of control.

“Jay-” he starts but Jason doesn’t let him finish.

“It’s fine. He’s dead, so it doesn’t matter anymore.”

It isn’t and it does, but he doesn’t want to start that discussion now, so he holds his tongue. Jason only undresses down to his underwear in front of him and then shuffles over to the shower stall.

“I can manage on my own,” he mumbles, not looking at Dick.

“I’m right here if you need me,” he says and then Jason pulls the curtain closed.

Dick changes into sweats in record time before Jason even starts his shower and then waits a few steps away from the stall, ready to help if he is needed. Jason doesn’t call for him but he stays in there for a long time.

When the water finally shuts off the entire room is filled with steam and Dick can feel his own hair dripping from the moisture hanging heavy in the air.

“I can pass you a towel,” Dick calls and gets a small grunt in answer.

Once Jason pulls the curtain back, the big fluffy towel wrapped around him, Dick looks him over and thinks he already seems a bit better. Washing the blood off hopefully helped him feel a little more comfortable at least.

They go back into the front room where Tim had left a stack of clothes for Jason a few minutes after he had started his shower. Jason shuffles over to the pile and sits down next to it on the bench. Dick hovers uncertainly for a minute before he decides waiting for Jason to tell him what to do had been the best option before so he will do that again.

He casually wanders over to the big medicine cabinet, getting out gauze and antiseptic they will need later, his back deliberately turned to Jason, and he can hear his brother start to change shortly afterwards. After a little while Jason calls his name, an edge of frustration in his voice.

“Dick, can you…I can’t put on this shirt on my own.”

Dick turns back around with a light “Sure” but also holds up the supplies in his hands.

“Can I dress the cuts on your back first, though?” he asks.

He can see how hard a decision it is for Jason, but he nods eventually, jaw clenched tight and face turned away from Dick. As Dick gets to work he tries to distance himself from what he is seeing, tells himself they are like any of the other cuts they all have gotten in their line of work, but he isn’t really successful with that.

Jason is tense the whole time Dick dresses the wound, flinches at each touch, but he doesn’t tell Dick to stop, so he finishes his work as quickly as possible. Once Dick is satisfied he gets up and helps Jason into his t-shirt. He had managed his boxers and sweats on his own and after the shirt is on he also tries to go for his socks himself, but Dick is faster.

Jason refuses to look at him while Dick is kneeling in front of him, but Dick won’t let him hurt himself more than he already is, so he just finishes what he started.

When he stands back up Dick starts to turn away to put the rest of the medical supplies back but Jason’s voice stops him in his tracks.

“He did that yesterday,” Jason says quietly, sounding far away.

Dick sits down next to him slowly, leaving him enough room to not feel trapped, but still close enough to lend his support. If Jason wants to talk about what was done to him, Dick will listen, no matter how much it might hurt him to hear it.

“I think he had today already planned out and just in case…just in case I got away, he wanted to make sure everyone knew I was his. His property. His _whore_.”

Jason spits the last word and the self-hatred in his voice is so all-consuming, Dick feels like his heart is being squeezed too tightly inside his chest, the pain he feels for his little brother one of the worst he ever experienced in his life.

“Hey,” he says, laying his hand gently on Jason’s cheek and tilting his head to meet his eyes. “Nothing he said was true. Nothing he did defines you.”

He can see tears well in Jason’s eyes and when he lets out the first sob Dick puts his arms around his little brother and pulls him into a hug. He doesn’t grasp too firmly, wanting to give Jason the choice to easily pull back if it is too much, but instead Jason’s arms come around him and he clings to Dick like his life depends on it.

Dick strengthens his hold and he can feel Jason shake with the sobs now wracking through his body. There is a wetness on his shoulder where Jason has buried his face in Dick’s neck and Dick just holds his little brother as he falls apart.

Dick doesn’t know how long they sit like this. He holds his brother as tightly as he can, like he can protect him from everything out there if he just keeps him in his arms. He rocks them slowly while he tells Jason how it will be okay, he is home now, safe again. He doesn’t know how much Jason even understands in his state, but his voice seems to have a soothing effect, so he doesn’t stop talking.

When the door opens and Bruce looks in Dick meets his eyes and the anguish on his father’s face hurts nearly as much as Jason’s broken sobs. Bruce retreats as quietly as he came in and Dick continues speaking softly to his brother until his voice goes hoarse.

When Jason’s sobs start to quiet and his whole body begins to slump more and more against Dick in exhaustion, he starts softly carding his fingers through Jason’s already dried hair and pulls cautiously back to get a look at his brother’s face. His eyes are swollen and his cheeks red, but he also looks mainly tired instead of distraught now, like he doesn’t have any energy left to think about what happened to him.

That isn’t a permanent solution, but for today Dick can work with it.

“How about we go see how Roy is, say hello to Lian and then you can go to bed?”

Panic flashes briefly in Jason’s eyes and Dick isn’t sure what he did wrong for a moment until his brother gets out a short plea.

“No bed, please.”

Dick has to work hard to hide his reaction but he only nods like it is nothing unusual.

“Okay, we can sleep in the sitting room, pretend it’s a slumber party.”

Jason’s lip twitches faintly at his attempt at humour, which Dick counts as a big win in this situation. He doesn’t say anything against the idea though and also doesn’t seem to have a problem with Dick staying with him. If he is honest with himself, Dick isn’t even sure he could let Jason out of his sight at the moment and he is certain at least Bruce will also join them, maybe even the whole family.

They eventually get up and make their way into the medbay where Bruce and Alfred are sitting next to Roy’s bed. Bruce has also changed out of the suit some time ago and gets up as soon as he sees them, coming towards them but stopping before he is too close to Jason.

“Jaylad,” he says, looking at him like his presence it the biggest miracle he has ever witnessed.

This time Jason closes the distance and puts his arms immediately around Bruce, hugging him tight as Bruce instantly returns the embrace, holding onto him with just as much desperation as Dick did earlier.

“I love you,” Bruce murmurs into Jason’s unruly hair, but it is still loud enough for Dick to hear. “I love you so much, Jay, and I’m so sorry I didn’t find you.”

Bruce’s voice sounds choked and Dick can see his hands tighten their grip on Jason’s back as he apologizes.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Jason says, quiet but with conviction. “I don’t blame you, dad. I don’t blame any of you.”

Jason pulls slightly back for those last words, turning his head and Dick knows that statement is also directed at him.

Dick might not be at fault for not finding him (which he isn’t entirely convinced about) but he is definitely the one who let Jason get taken in the first place. No matter what Jason says, Dick will forever carry that guilt with him.

Bruce doesn’t really answer Jason and after another moment Jason looks over at Roy, pulling further back from their father.

“How is he?”

“He responded well to the antidote and should be over the worst effects now. I will monitor him the rest of the night, but I don’t expect his condition to deteriorate.”

Alfred’s calm and reassuring words take a weight from Dick’s heart that he didn’t even know he was carrying. Opiate overdoses are dangerous and can have dire consequences, knowing Roy has made it through the worst already is a relief.

Jason gives the butler a grateful nod before his eyes focus back on his husband.

“Can I have a moment alone with him?”

“Of course, Master Jason.” Alfred gets up and when he passes Jason he lays a hand on his shoulder, stopping for a few seconds before he says, “It is good to have you back, my dear boy.”

Jason folds his own hand over Alfred’s, squeezing it shortly before the old man continues out of the room with Dick and Bruce.

Once the three of them are out of the medbay they can see Jason move over to the bed, taking the seat Alfred had just vacated and grasping Roy’s hand, bringing it to his mouth for a kiss.

Dick turns away from that scene, wanting to give his brother at least some privacy. Unsurprisingly both Bruce and Alfred look at him expectantly after they also take their eyes off Jason and Roy.

“How is he?” Alfred asks and Dick has to close his eyes for a moment, because how can he even begin to put Jason’s state into words?

“Traumatized,” he says eventually, looking at both Bruce and Alfred and seeing his own anguish reflected in their faces. “He had a flashback earlier and later a complete breakdown. Freaked out when I mentioned a bed. I told him we can sleep in the sitting room.”

Bruce and Alfred both look pained, but not shocked. These are to be expected reactions after what Jason has been through, after all.

“He has-“ Dick has to stop before he can go on, fury choking him. “He cut his initials into Jason’s back,” he finally spits, seeing the horrified looks but still going on, “he called him his property, his-“ he can’t go on, he is too furious, feeling angry tears well up in his eyes.

He brings his hand up and viciously wipes them away, knows if he starts to break down now he won’t be able to stop. He has to stay strong for Jason, so he can’t risk that.

Bruce grasps his upper arm and Dick inhales deeply a few times, grounding himself again. When he is calmer he gives his father a short nod and he pulls his hand back slowly.

“Does he have any other new injuries?” Alfred asks. Dick is certain Alfred has also seen all the pictures they were sent, even though he was never present when the letters were opened. There aren’t many things Bruce keeps from his father figure after all.

Dick shakes his head slowly. “Not that I saw, but he didn’t really let me look.”

“He’ll need a full medical examination,” Bruce says, stoic in a way that means he is ruthlessly suppressing any emotions connected to what he is saying.

“I think it can wait until later,” Alfred says sadly, “let him have some time to come home.”

When they look over into the medbay a few minutes later they can clearly see how exhausted Jason is as he sits slumped half over Roy, his head nodding down every few seconds.

Bruce enters the room first, making his steps deliberately heavy to alert Jason before he is too close and Jason looks at him with dazed eyes, seeming half asleep already.

“How about we get you up to the Manor so you can get some rest?” Bruce asks and it takes some time until Jason reacts.

“What about Roy?”

Jason’s hand grips his husband's tighter and Dick feels the urge to scream at the stark reminder how these two had been kept apart for weeks now.

“He has to stay here for the night, but Alfred will be with him,” Bruce explains softly, talking as he would to a child, but Jason doesn’t seem to notice. He just sends a last longing look at Roy before he nods slowly and tries to get up. His legs however have other ideas and he nearly slumps right down to the floor if not for Bruce’s fast reaction.

Their father steadies him and after a brief moment of hesitation hoists Jason up into his arms. Dick can tell Bruce keeps a careful eye on Jason’s reaction to the close physical contact, but Jason only grips at their father’s shirt and lets his head rest against his shoulder as his eyes fall closed.

Bruce just stands there for a long moment, looking down at his son with an unreadable expression before he starts to walk out of the medbay, Dick right behind him.

They take the elevator up to the Manor, Bruce staring down at Jason the whole time. Dick exits first and walks ahead to the sitting room as Bruce follows slowly, making sure not to jostle Jason too much. Dick finds Tim, Damian and Lian already waiting for them, all three getting up immediately when he enters the room, looking expectantly at him. He only has a few moments to talk to them before Bruce and Jason will follow, so he comes to the point quickly.

“B and Jason are right behind me,” he says, keeping his voice quiet but intend, “Jay is pretty exhausted and he needs sleep. He might not like being touched right now, so wait for his reactions.”

He can see Tim and Damian’s lips thin at the reminder, but the words were more for Lian’s benefit. His niece nods seriously, her eyes trained expectantly on the doorway behind Dick.

When Bruce carries Jason inside Lian’s eyes get huge and for a moment Dick wonders if letting her see him like this was the wrong decision. But she doesn’t look frightened or sad, there is only relief and so much love in her eyes, that Dick knows it was the right call.

“Jayjay,” Lian says softly, starting to move forward, but she stops herself before she gets within touching distance, obviously heeding Dick’s words.

“He’s asleep, honey,” Bruce says quietly, crossing the room and sitting down carefully on one of the sofas, Jason still curled against him.

“He must be really tired,” Lian says with a sage nod, coming closer, eyes never leaving Jason. 

Dick doesn’t know how long they just stand there, looking at Jason. It has been so long since he was taken, Dick honestly wasn’t sure if he would ever see his little brother again. Having him back in the midst of his family is a gift they all know to value even more now.

But the time Jason was held captive didn’t pass by without consequences. As they are all still standing around the sofa Jason’s brow suddenly begins to tighten and his fists clench where they are still holding onto Bruce’s shirt. The little whimpers he makes aren’t even necessary to tell them that Jason is having a nightmare.

For a moment they are all just frozen, looking at Jason with sad eyes as he relives whatever horrible memory is currently playing through his mind. Bruce is the first to react and starts to softly card his hand through Jason’s hair, murmuring soothingly down to him.

They all just watch until Lian suddenly runs from the room and Dick is too startled to stop her.

“Maybe this was too much,” Tim says lowly, looking after the little girl with haunted eyes.

Dick isn’t sure what to say to that.

It doesn’t take long until Lian rushes back into the room. Thankfully, Jason has calmed down in the meantime and seems to be sleeping relatively peacefully again. The little girl comes to a stop directly in front of Bruce, panting and out of breath, and holds out the teddy bear now in her hand.

At Bruce’s questioning look she explains “Mr. Snuffles helps me with nightmares. He can help Jayjay, too.” and Dick feels his heart melt.

“Thanks, Lian.”

Bruce sounds choked as he takes the plushie and carefully settles it on Jason’s stomach. Lian nods in satisfaction and after a few more minutes of simply watching Tim starts to corral her out of the room. Damian follows them after a last long look at Jason and then only Dick is left, standing in front of his father and brother.

“Do you want me to help you get him into a more comfortable position?” Dick asks eventually.

Jason is currently leaning against Bruce’s chest, half sitting on his lap with his legs stretched out on the sofa. Bruce’s legs must be going numb under the weight and his arms are holding Jason the whole time to prevent him from slipping down.

“No,” Bruce says with a small shake of his head. “I don’t want to disturb him.”

He also wants to hold his son in his arms, Dick thinks, but he doesn’t comment. He can’t begrudge Bruce his desire to keep Jason close, so he just retrieves a blanket and spreads it over them, carefully tugging it around his brother. He places a soft kiss on Jason’s head before he straightens back up and when his eyes meet Bruce’s there is the unspoken agreement that neither of them will let Jason out of their sight.

“You’re a good brother, Dick,” Bruce says as Dick sits down in the armchair closest to them.

He wants to say that a good brother would have found Jason sooner, prevented all of this from happening, but he holds those thoughts back. Instead he gives Bruce a brief smile before his eyes settle back on Jason and how he is curled as close as he can into Bruce’s chest, so very obviously feeling safe with him.

“And you’re a good dad,” Dick says as he settles in to watch over them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all the comments and kudos =D


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise!  
> Bet you thought you'd seen the last of this fic, but no! Here we are again.  
> Sorry for the long wait. I just wasn't in the mood to write this story, and then bam, in the last two days I wrote this whole chapter. That's just how it is sometimes.

Dick can feel exhaustion pulling at him, his limbs heavy and his eyes wanting to fall closed now that he has been sitting still for a while, the toll of the last few weeks catching up to him seemingly all at once, but he doesn’t allow himself to give in and fall asleep.

The need to keep watch, keep his eyes on Jason, is nearly overwhelming, and he knows it is irrational, but he fears his little brother will be gone again if he closes his eyes for too long, so he simply doesn’t allow himself to.

Bruce is still awake too, holding Jason in his arms even though Dick can see the strain it has on him to keep Jason in this position for so long, but their father never relents. His eyes are constantly trained on Jason, just like Dick’s, and both of their childish paranoia would be funny if the reason behind it wasn’t so heart-breaking.

Luckily Jason seems to be sleeping soundly since that first nightmare shortly after they had moved him into the sitting room. Dick tells himself that his and Bruce’s careful watch is responsible for that, which gives him another reason not to give into his body’s demand for rest.

He is just contemplating whether standing up and moving around to increase his heartrate a bit would disturb Jason when Damian walks into the room on quiet feet, sending careful glances at Jason with every step.

“Is he…?” he asks softly, and Dick isn’t even sure what his little brother is asking but there is so much worry in his voice Dick begins to reassure him before Damian even finishes speaking.

“He’s fine, Little D. He just needs a lot of rest.”

Damian sends him a look that would have normally been accompanied with a haughty “Don’t patronize me, Grayson” but here, today, he refrains from making a scene like he usually would.

Instead he steps closer to their father and brother, eyes trained on Jason, and the expression on his face is one Dick has never seen before. There is worry there, of course, but also protectiveness and a fierce anger that Dick feels himself every time he thinks about those cuts on Jason’s back or the way he had flinched away from Dick’s hand when they found him. But underlying all of that he sees love on Damian’s face, pure and unwavering.

He doesn’t know how long Damian just stands there, watching Jason breathe in deep, even puffs against Bruce’s chest until their father finally looks up at his youngest, studying him for a moment.

“Damian, you should get some sleep,” Bruce says, his own voice heavy with exhaustion.

“It is not even dark out, Father,” Damian says, going for his usual indignation at being treated like a child, but his tone doesn’t carry any conviction. Instead he just sounds sad and distracted, still looking at Jason.

“We’re all tired, buddy,” Bruce says, and Damian looks up at the use of the nickname. “Jason is home; you can get some rest now.”

Damian doesn’t answer immediately, holding Bruce’s gaze for a long time, and Dick wonders what he sees in their father’s eyes in that moment. Eventually he looks away though, down at Jason’s face again.

“Pennyworth sent me,” he begins, sounding like he just remembered. “Doctor Thompkins arrived a few minutes ago. She is now checking on Harper and would like to examine Todd later.”

Dick has to swallow heavily at the thought of Jason having to endure a full medical examination. Even if it is absolutely necessary and they all trust Leslie with their lives, Jason’s reactions to Dick even just briefly touching his naked skin earlier…it will not be pretty.

Bruce is silent for a few seconds before he answers, his voice sounding choked. 

“Thank you, Damian. I will wake him up in a bit, just…”

Damian nods, turning to leave, but in exactly that moment Jason lets out a loud gasp and suddenly he is flailing in Bruce’s arms, his legs tangling in the blanket. Bruce automatically tightens his hold, keeping Jason from crashing to the floor, but that is the absolutely wrong thing to do.

Jason’s eyes snap open, wide and terrified, but he doesn’t register what is going on around him or where he is, the horrors he lived through in the past weeks overshadowing reality.

“No!” he gasps, tone frantic, “stop, stop, please.”

Dick has never heard his little brother plead like that, his voice small and desperate, and the deep anguish he feels is unlike anything he has ever experienced before.

Bruce is doing his best to calm Jason down, loosening his hold and reassuring him in a soothing, steady voice that doesn’t betray the inner turmoil Dick can see flicker behind his eyes.

The second Jason is free he scrambles away from Bruce, pressing himself into the opposite side of the couch, hugging his legs close and deliberately making himself as small as possible while quiet pleas continue to leave his mouth.

Damian stands frozen next to the couch, his expression haunted as he stares at his older brother. This really isn’t something he should have to see, Damian has already been through too much for a kid his age, and Jason surely wouldn’t want him to witness this either.

With what feels like a monumental amount of effort Dick shakes off the daze he has fallen into and looks away from Jason, standing up instead and putting his hands on Damian’s shoulders.

“Come on, Dami,” Dick murmurs as he begins to gently steer him outside, “lets give Jay some room.”

Damian doesn’t protest, just lets himself be led, which is so untypical of him that Dick knows he is taking this hard. They are nearly in the hallway when Jason finally quiets behind them and the last thing Dick hears as he quietly pulls the door closed to give them some privacy is Jason choking out the word “B?” and breaking out in the most gut wrenching sobs at Bruce’s soft “I’m here son. You’re safe now.”

Dick simply has to breathe for a few seconds to stop himself from breaking down as they stand in the hallway and the way Damian just stares at nothing…they might have Jason back, but what happened to him will stay with this family for a very long time.

“He’s not fine,” Damian says eventually, sounding his actual age for once, as if it is only now sinking in how truly hurt their brother is, and Dick is hugging him before the first tear streaks down Damian’s cheek.

“You said he’s fine, but he’s not, you lied, you-“

Damian’s voice is watery and muffled where his face is pressed against Dick’s chest, his words cutting off as he begins to hiccup, his clenched fists smacking ineffectually against Dick’s sides as his breaths turn short and frantic.

Dick can’t speak past the lump in his throat, his own eyes burning with unshed tears, so he settles for rubbing his hand up and down Damian’s back, hoping it will comfort his little brother enough to keep him from breaking down completely.

It does take some time, but eventually the struggle bleeds out of Damian, his arms going limp as his sobs begin to turn to exhausted hiccups. When the kid is leaning so heavily against Dick that he’s the only thing still keeping him standing, he carefully shifts his grip so he can pick his little brother up and turns towards the stairs.

“What are you doing?” Dami mumbles into Dick’s by now soaked shirt, voice clogged and raw in a way that makes Dick’s heart ache, even though he didn’t think he could feel any more pain than he already has in the last few hours.

His little brother must be feeling just as miserable as him or he would already be protesting being carried like this. Under normal circumstances Dick would have been threatened with evisceration by now, even though they both know Damian doesn’t really mean anything with such threats anymore.

“Getting you to bed,” Dick answers as he makes his way into the family wing, a ghost of a smile crossing his lips at Damian’s typically sullen “I’m not a child, I don’t need to be put to bed.”

“Just humour me, please,” Dick asks as he puts his little brother down in his room. 

He must be looking just as bad as he feels because after a glance at him Damian’s protest dies on his lips and he turns toward his wardrobe, changing without another word.

Dick pulls the curtains closed to shut out the weak afternoon light and then turns around so can sit down on the edge of Damian’s bed to tuck the blankets tightly around him.

His little brother’s eyes are still bloodshot, his cheeks red from all the crying, and Dick wishes he could do something to make at least one person in this family feel better.

His most innate way to comfort people has always been physical affection, so he lightly ruffles Dami’s hair and places a kiss on his forehead; that can’t erase the lines of sadness from his brother’s young face, but Dick at least tells himself that they get a little lighter.

“Sleep well,” Dick wishes as he gets up, but a firm hand around his wrist stops him and tugs him back down. 

“Harper killed him, didn’t he? Sionis is dead?”

It doesn’t so much sound as if Damian is asking because he doesn’t know what happened, more like he’s trying to reassure himself, so Dick nods decisively, squeezing his brother’s shoulder as he does so.

“Good!” Damian declares quietly, viciously, and usually Dick would step in at a statement like that, remind Damian that he’s not an assassin anymore and that those worldviews are behind him, but today he remains pointedly silent.

“Do you think-“ Dami begins to ask, his voice turned oddly hesitant, and Dick waits as his brother is evidently trying to find the right words. “What do you think Father will do? About Harper?”

Dick can see the conflict play out clear as day behind Damian’s eyes, his conviction that what Roy did was right clashing with their father’s code, the firm stance that killing is never the answer, no matter the circumstances.

But Damian hadn’t been there when they found Jason. He hadn’t heard what had happened just before that knife had slit Sionis’ throat (and Dick is glad for it, because he knows he will never get those horrible images out of his head). 

Damian hadn’t witnessed how Bruce hadn’t even wasted one look on the corpse of the man who had abused his son so terribly, had only been focused on saving Roy and bringing Jason back home. Hadn’t spent the last few hours watching Bruce hold Jason like he was the most precious thing in the world to him.

No, their father might have a moral code that was as unbending as his will, but even he made a distinction between murder and self-defence. And Roy had clearly acted out of necessity, in order to protect Jason, and not out of hatred or revenge…at least not purely out of those reasons.

So no, Dick doesn’t think Bruce will do anything about Roy in that regard. And if he does, Dick will have something to say about it, because honestly, he would have done the same thing without hesitation. The world is a better place without Black Mask in it, and Dick certainly will not allow Roy to be punished for protecting his husband.

When Dick says as much Damian seems to finally relax back into his pillows, giving Dick a relieved nod, and Dick feels a small smile tug on his lips at the clear display of empathy from his little brother. He always knew that the kid was a lot more compassionate than he pretended to be, but to see it like this, even under the circumstances, manages to make him feel something other than sadness for a little while.

Dick pats Dami’s leg lightly through the blanket and shifts to get up again, but the hand still wrapped around his wrist tightens and one look at his brother’s face is enough to make him stay where he is. Instead he begins to card his free hand gently through Damian’s hair, humming an old lullaby his mom used to sing to him under his breath, and within minutes Damian is finally asleep.

For a few minutes Dick just sits there and watches his little brother sleep, feeling his own tiredness catch up to him as his eyes start to get heavier and heavier. It would be so easy to just lie down next to Damian and fall asleep, to listen to his comforting, even breaths and drift off in the knowledge that at least his youngest brother is sleeping peacefully.

It is tempting, but eventually Dick shakes himself out of his drowsiness and gets up, careful not to disturb Damian. His little brother might be finally getting some rest, but there are enough other people in the house that Dick still needs to check on, still needs to make sure that they are okay, before he can even think about allowing himself some sleep.

His first stop is Lian’s room a couple doors down and when he quietly peaks inside he once again finds an unexpected smile take over his face at what he finds.

His niece is fast asleep, one of her hands holding onto Tim’s shirt where he is sitting up against the headboard next to her, a book dangling from his fingers and snoring like a chainsaw.

Looking at them, Dick could think that nothing is really wrong with their family, and once again he finds himself just watching, basking in the normalcy and light-heartedness of the scene.

There are no lasting scars or broken sobs in this room, only his brother and niece enjoying a nice afternoon nap.

Once again it takes an effort for Dick to leave and before he does so he first makes his way over to the bed and prods Tim lightly until he lies down more comfortably, not wanting him to wake up with a crick in his neck. Lian immediately curls up against her uncle, one of Tim’s arms coming up to hold her against him, and with a last look at the sleeping pair Dick steps out into the hallway, silently closing the door behind him.

That’s three people accounted for, all of them finally getting some much needed sleep. For a moment Dick just stands in the hallway and simply breathes as he tries to hold onto the warmth the last few minutes have left him with as he braces himself to go back downstairs.

He can’t imagine that whatever he will find there will be as heart-warming as what is going on up here.

When he makes his way downstairs he finds the door to the sitting room still firmly shut and hears faint voices from inside. Thankfully he can’t hear any more crying and not wanting to intrude he makes his way on silent feet past the door and over towards the kitchen. 

Alfred is the only one there, making tea with his hands moving on auto-pilot as his attention is evidently far away. The fact that it takes the butler nearly half a minute to notice that he isn’t alone in his domain anymore is telling and when he finally greets Dick his voice sounds tired and weary in a way that makes Dick’s heart ache.

“Can I help?” Dick asks after a few moments of quiet, eager to be useful in some way, even though he knows it isn’t as easy as making some tea to chase away the shadows hanging over everyone in the Manor right now.

Alfred has known him long enough to recognize his intention right away and directs him to prepare a tray with cups and some crackers to take down into the Cave.

Once the tea is brewed Dick offers to go bring it downstairs himself, telling Alfred to get some rest, and the butler only needs to raise an eyebrow to let Dick know how hypocritical that sentiment is coming from him right now, but he doesn’t protest and sits down with his cup of tea as Dick leaves.

Halfway down the stairs Dick can already hear Leslie’s voice and when he makes his way over towards the open doorway of the medical section he finds her standing on front of Roy, her hands on her hips as she sternly lectures the redhead.

Roy is staring back unflinchingly, and Dick can tell just from the clench of his jaw that he is not happy about whatever Leslie has been saying.

“Roy,” she finally finishes with when Dick lightly raps on the doorway, her voice weary but still determined, “I know I can’t force you, but please think about what I said. I am only trying to help you.”

Roy flinches slightly at her words, but he doesn’t back down, and with a frustrated sigh Leslie finally turns away from him and towards Dick.

“Tea?” Dick offers, holding up the tray when no one says anything, and Leslie steps over and takes a cup with a grateful nod of her head.

“Thanks, Dick,” she says, clapping him lightly on the shoulder before she leans closer and goes on in a quieter voice, “try to make him see sense, will you?”

Dick doesn’t need her slight head tilt towards Roy to know who she means, but he has no idea about what he should make his brother-in-law see sense and he doesn’t get the chance to ask before Leslie is already making her way towards the stairs and up to the Manor.

That leaves Dick staring at Roy for a few seconds, trying to figure out what might be going on here.

His old friend still looks a little pale and shaky, the way his hands grip the sides of the gurney making it clear his body hasn’t fully recovered from the ordeal it has been through yet, but on the whole he looks worlds better than mere hours ago. Roy had technically been _dead_ then and just thinking that compels Dick to step closer, putting the tray down a little harshly on a table and enveloping Roy in a hug the moment he is close enough.

“Please never do that again,” Dick mumbles into Roy’s shoulder, feeling the arms around him squeeze him a little tighter, but tellingly he doesn’t respond.

It’s not as if Dick expects anything else from him, honestly. He had always known that Roy would do just about anything for Jason, but seeing it with his own eyes, hearing him give up his life, his sobriety, _everything_ for his husband…

It is humbling and anxiety-inducing at the same time, even though Dick knows he would never wish for his little brother to be loved less by his husband. Doesn’t mean that Dick isn’t worried about Roy, though.

“So,” Dick asks, pulling back and sitting down next to Roy on the cot, “what am I supposed to make you see sense about?”

Roy still looks tense, and for a moment Dick isn’t sure if he will get an answer, but then his friend suddenly slumps into himself as if his strings have been cut, letting out a long breath as his hands once again clutch the bedframe.

“Leslie thinks I should go to rehab,” Roy says, voice absolutely emotionless, and yeah, what is Dick supposed to say to that?

Because yes, it would probably be the best option to ensure Roy’s wellbeing after what happened, but Dick doesn’t even need to ask why he won’t agree to that right now. Leslie surely didn’t either, but she’s a doctor first; she had given her best medical advice, most likely knowing how futile it was, but still bound by an oath to at least try, and Dick can’t hold that against her.

Dick hums in lieu of an answer and Roy sighs again, letting himself lean against Dick and just staying close for a few silent seconds.

“I can’t leave him right now,” Roy says quietly, and Dick brings up his arm to curl around him. He feels a slight tremble run through Roy’s body and he wonders whether it’s caused by the chill in the Cave or the first symptoms of withdrawal.

Curse that fucking scum for pulling these dark shadows back into the light on top of everything else he had already done. Hadn’t it been enough to torture and abuse Jason for weeks on end while tormenting his family with all those pictures? Did he really have to make Roy pay with his body in such a horrible way on top of that for them to finally get Jason back?

Dick can feel anger start to burn in his gut and he quickly steers his thoughts away from such fruitless questions. There is no point in lamenting about what had happened, the only thing he can do is be there for his friend and his brother, for his whole family really, and make sure that they all make it through this difficult time together. That is what family is for after all.

“I know,” Dick finally says, squeezing Roy’s shoulder reassuringly. “But please don’t forget to look after yourself. Jay may be…he’s in a bad place right now, but if you’re not well, you can’t help him either, Roy. If you need help with this, ask. We’re all here for you guys, okay?”

Dick feels Roy nod against his shoulder and for a few minutes they just sit there, drawing comfort simply from each other’s presence.

Roy is the first to break the silence, his voice brittle in a way Dick has never heard before.

“How is he?”

Dick blows out a long breath, closing his eyes and instantly seeing the terrified expression on Jason’s face after he woke from the nightmare in front of his eyes again. Such a simple question, but the answer to it…

“Traumatized,” Dick finally settles on, opening his eyes and looking straight ahead at the wall, not wanting to meet Roy’s eyes right now. “Exhausted. Worried about you.”

At that last point Roy makes some kind of noise and it is hard for Dick to decide whether it was a chuckle or a sob, so he simply squeezes his old friend tighter for a moment.

“Alfred said he was asleep upstairs,” Roy says and Dick can practically picture the butler leveraging that fact in order to keep Roy downstairs for his examination instead of sprinting off to see his husband.

“He was. Woke up a little while ago. He’s with B right now, but-“

Dick never gets far enough to explain that Jason also still has to be examined by Leslie before Roy is already jumping from the cot, his legs wobbling dangerously as he stands, but that gives him no pause as he stumbles towards the door.

“Roy wait,” Dick calls out, surging after him and catching his elbow, both to steady him and to slow him down, visions of the redhead with his head split open on a table corner already flashing through his mind.

“Let me go Dick, I need to see him,” Roy practically snarls, trying to wrest his arm from Dick’s grasp, but his usual strength isn’t behind the motion, so Dick can easily hold on.

“I just want you to slow down, damnit, before you-“

The ding of the elevator has both of them freezing on the spot and when Roy starts to make his way toward the sound with even more determination than before Dick doesn’t argue but simply steadies him as he follows.

When they round the corner they come face to face with Leslie, and a little ways behind her Jason and Bruce, the latter steadying the former with a light hand on his elbow in the exact same way Dick is doing to Roy right now.

Everyone stops, both parties just staring in mild surprise at each other, before Roy decisively pulls his arm from Dick’s hold and crosses the last few steps towards his husband, though he leaves a conscious gap between them that makes Dick’s heart ache.

“Hey there, Jaybird,” he says so softly Dick can barely hear the words, even though he is no more than ten feet away.

“Hey,” Jason answers, sounding dazed as his eyes meet Roy’s, and for a few moments it seems as if the entire Cave is frozen, not even a rustle from the bats overhead breaking the complete stillness that envelopes them.

Then Jason takes a small step forward, one hand reaching out to tentatively grasp one of Roy’s and slowly intertwine their fingers. The gentleness and care of the action has tears springing into Dick’s eyes for some reason and his emotions are too raw at the moment to hold them back.

“Can I…?” Roy asks quietly, letting his free hand hover over Jason’s cheek without touching him, and after a small nod from Jason he gently closes the distance, letting his thumb stroke softly over his husband’s cheekbone.

Dick feels like a voyeur for witnessing what amounts to such an intimate and private moment, but he doesn’t look away until Jason suddenly slumps forward into Roy’s arms, both of them stumbling but ultimately keeping on their feet as they hold on to each other.

Dick can hear someone let out a soft sob, and he couldn’t tell which one of the two it came from, but he doesn’t look back to find out.

A moment later a firm hand lands on his shoulder and Bruce begins to steer him towards the stairs, but Dick strains against the movement, unwilling to leave for some reason.

“Come on, Dick,” Bruce corals quietly, his hand beginning to rub slow circles over Dick’s back while still pushing him lightly forward, “time for you to get some rest too.”

“But,” Dick counters weakly, not even sure what his reason for protesting is, only knowing that something deep inside him strains against leaving Jason and Roy out of his sight, against going up to his bed and being alone with his thoughts.

“No buts,” Bruce says, and his voice has the same unshakable and gentle quality it always had when Dick was still small and going into some kind of temper tantrum. “Everyone is safe. You’ve looked after them, made sure they were okay, now let me take care of you buddy, okay?”

Dick can hear the underlying exhaustion in his father’s words, tinged with the bitter knowledge that healing from this won’t be as easy as getting some sleep, but Dick still musters a grateful smile and finally starts to walk towards the stairs.

When he is nearly there he chances one last look back, catching only a glimpse of Jason and Roy still clinging to each other before his eyes catch Leslie’s, and the old doctor gives him a reassuring nod before Dick turns back and leaves the Cave with Bruce.

Jason and Roy are in good hands. Dick can allow himself to get some rest now and leaving the two of them alone to reunite also feels like the right thing to do.

Before Dick knows it he’s in his room, Bruce keeping a careful eye on him as he stumbles towards his bed and lets himself fall onto the mattress without even bothering to change his clothes. He has slept in worse things than his sweats and now that he’s lying down, his exhaustion catches up with him in one fell swoop, leaving barely enough energy for him to get under the covers.

He would probably have just slept on top of the comforter if Bruce hadn’t nudged and shifted him until he was lying properly in bed, his father sitting on the edge next to him in the exact same way Dick had done to Damian earlier.

Dick only vaguely registers the hand carding through his hair, shifting towards the contact without thought, and the quiet rumble of “Sleep well, chum.” is the last thing he hears before the blessed darkness of sleep finally overtakes him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the lovely comments. You guys are just the best =D


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